The Perks of Being a Phantom Player
by Urei Miura
Summary: Winter Cup with the GoM:) And everyone is turning crazy because of crazy events caused by crazy people.
1. The Perks of Maya

**Entirely based on the manga. . READ AND REVIEW. Kuroko no Basuke is not mine.**

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**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

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**Part 1**

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_**February 25**_

Dear Friend,

First of all, I can't believe myself for writing a letter at this day and age.

I mean…

Seriously?! Where technology is all around the corners of this earth?

He said that it will be a great help if I write to you – so I am writing… to you. Not that I really need help. Let's be clear that I am not sick in the head or anything. I just need someone out there who would listen (well, in this case, read) to all my rumblings and who will understand how life is (very) unfair to me!

Because my life will probably suck from now on!

Frankly speaking, I think he just made me write a letter because he doesn't want to hear me talk anymore. I talk a lot and complain a lot. He once said that it's better if I shut up for once and I was "really exasperating so please…".

So...

Anyway.

Before anything else, I guess introductions should be in order. It would be weird if you start receiving letters from a person you don't know. I mean, that would be what I will feel if I put myself in your place. I've been doing that a lot lately, putting myself in other people's shoes.

Anyway. Again.

My name is Maya. My Dad named me from a South-East Asian country bird. Maya is otherwise known as the Black-headed Munia (_Lonchura atrica pilla jagori)_. If you want, you can _google _it. I am 16 years old and the eldest in the family. I only have one sibling; a younger brother who thinks he is better than me.

My personality, physical looks and intellect are above average if I say so myself. To be precise, I am neither skinny nor fat. I stand at 155 centimeters. I have a fair complexion. My hair is black, wavy and about the length of my shoulders. I have brown eyes. I like chocolates. I hate insects.

In short, I'm a normal teenager from a normal family living a normal life.

So what made my life suck, you ask?

It has been decided that we are moving! You see, Dad got the promotion he's been working on for 5 years! (Jeez, 5 years just for a promotion, that sucks!) It was a great news because finally we'll have more money but he said:

"We have to live in Japan though."

There was a very long pause. I don't know how to react.

"We have to live in Japan." Dad repeated more slowly.

Live. In. JAPAN.

He wasn't joking. I hope he was.

We have to change our home. And I mean, HOME. It isn't just a simple moving to another PLACE but it is moving to another COUNTRY! Mom was VERY bothered causing a serious discussion. I am also bothered but as children, my brother and I are only allowed to listen, we are not allowed to talk and 'discuss' which I think is very unfair since it also involves us. And, really, I'm not a child anymore.

The discussion goes around with Mom saying it is "very difficult as hell to settle". Dad says "getting the job will ensure the kids future" - also known as the college fund BTW. Mom got a point with the "kids will have a difficult time adjusting with the culture and socializing with other people." Dad said "it will make the kids grow as a real person." I would like to make a point here that there are other adjectives Mom could use aside from difficult, but as I said, we are not allowed to enter the discussion. Dad won by saying that "sacrifices have to be made in order to obtain all the good things in life." And so it was decided.

Yes, Dad is a philosophical-type of person and he always wins all discussions because of it. I mean, really, how can you argue with wisdom?

My brother is really excited about moving abroad and all. He practically jumped 10 meters high with joy when the matter was settled and we will finally move. How I wished he hit his head on the ceiling. I, on the other hand, thought they were all crazy. After the discussion, I talked to Mom like a civilized person would. I can't really reason out with my father, you know, because of the reason stated above. I can't say it's unreasonable because it isn't. I rather take this emotionally. It turned out to be more of a one-sided argument though.

My reasons are, but not limited to the following:

1. My friends. I can't just leave my friends! I've spent practically my whole life with them. Although we are neither in the circle of the popular nor the losers. But still… I refuse to leave them.

2. The comfort zone. I don't like to take the risk starting out from scratch. This place is my home!

3. My capacity for adaptation. I just made this up. But considering that it took me 16 years to find a place where I belong, how many years do you think it would take me if I start to find it again?! And honestly I'm not much of a social person so I'm telling you already that it will be hard for me.

4. I'm undergoing puberty. This event might cause me to take the rebellious stage of a teenager. And I'm pretty sure it will be ugly. So moving is a wrong decision!

5. Others. Self-explanatory.

My Mom just gave me the death-glare. And that was it. I shut up. Her death-glare can literally kill!

I tried everything I could of course; I'm not a person to just give up that easily. From that argument with my mother, to the child-like tantrums until the fasting-for-justice. The last one really made me think I would die!

But you know parents always win in the end. It's so unfair!

As you read this letter, we are probably on our way to Japan. I'm probably looking out the airplane's window devising some plan on how to steal a parachute and skydive just to get back to MY home. It is MY now, since OURS seems to be not appropriate anymore. Mom, Dad and my brother - everyone is looking forward to the new life that awaits us in Japan except for me.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. I was kidding with skydiving. Just so you know, I'm afraid of heights, so as you read this letter I already fainted.

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_**March 25**_

Dear Friend,

It's been a month since we arrived here in Japan. And I have finally moved on (I think so). I accepted the fact that we are going to live here. We started learning the customs- the do's and don'ts of the Japanese people.

Like for example: The Chopsticks. You treat it the same way they treat the cow in India. You treat it with respect! Holding the chopsticks is an art and it requires extensive training to perfect how to hold it.

When you visit Japan, be sure to treat the chopsticks as something sacred. Don't toy with it. My brother almost committed seppuku when he used it to pick something other than food. He is so stupid.

No, I am not joking.

The next one is: Bowing. You bow to every people you greet. It's also a sign for respect. My father is having a little dilemma here since he can't really bend his body forward or even backward. He has a serious case of arthritis. You can just hear his bones crack. Believe me, it's very funny but it hurts you at the same time.

We also started studying the language and while everyone else is getting the hang of it, I can't still get it.

Our neighbor, Hanai-_san_ is a very friendly neighbor. He is an old man (there are a lot of old people in Japan, by the way), but mind you he talked a lot and fast. One time when I was in my emo-mode, sitting alone in our new backyard and he just appeared at the other side. He nearly killed me from shock! Jeez, he was creepy with his balding white hair and wrinkles! He was talking to me but I had no idea what are the words coming out from his mouth.

"Ashjjhadjkahjdhajkhjdhkajhda j desu ne…" Hanai-san said.

I smiled at him.

"Ajshdaurekwjakhfsjasdadl ka?" He said. I heard an interrogative mark with this one so I nodded and smiled at him.

"Aksdflsdjfjslk na."

I really can't understand him so without being rude in ending the conversation, I bowed to him and said:

"_Arigato_."

Later on I learned he was talking about the nice weather. And I said thank you. Talk about stupid. I plan to apologize to Hanai-san and talk to him properly. In the future. When I understand Japanese.

My brother made me watch these Japanese Anime DVDs with English subtitles to learn the language. He said it will help me with my Japanese. It's his way of saying that I suck and he is great. Since I think he is just being kind to me, I let it slide. Besides the DVDs are really helping me a lot. I can say '_nani!?_' with a really shocked face or _'baka'_ to my brother.

I also learned that people who watch too much anime are called _Otakus_. They are really nerdy and geeky. There are a lot of them in Japan. And I think I just become one of them whether I like it or not. I cannot help but blame the culture but seriously… Japanese animation is awesome. I can't stop watching. I play from the next series to the next. I think I am getting addicted to it. I just keep watching and can't stop! Currently, I'm watching Slam Dunk – a sports anime. It is really funny. I think you should watch it too. I have a crush with Sendoh Akira.

I should probably get embarrassed on having a crush with an animated character! (But he is really cute.)

The reason I write though, isn't because of that. The thing that I am scared of is the fact that I'd be getting my high school here. And, I just don't know what will happen. I mean, really, in a month?! Could I be fluent with Japanese? Or act like Japanese?! It's so hard!

I'm going to a Japanese High School!

Love always, Maya.

P.S. Sailor Uniform is the best! I attached a copy of Slam Dunk just in case you want to watch it.


	2. The Perks of Kagami Taiga

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

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_**April 10**_

Dear Friend,

High school should be a grand and momentous occasion for me but all I did was to stop breathing. Ok. Not really. I was overwhelmed. A lot of things that I can't believe happened.

First of all is Seirin High School. Seirin just opened last year so the school is very clean and sparkly. It was my only choice since the school is the only school nearest to our house. I wouldn't risk travelling when I can already get lost inside our subdivision. But still, even though it is a new school, the entrance ceremony is welcomed by students in different clubs recruiting members. The school front ground is packed! The problem is squeezing my way through so I could get inside the building. I'm telling you, it's no easy feat. It was when I was (hardly) walking that I saw him. A very tall guy with red-hair. He was carrying another student by the neck like a cat. I thought he was Sakuragi Hanamichi, so I followed him. I mean, who would wear his hair bright red other than Sakuragi!? Since he was tall and muscular, very commendable for a high school student, he easily went pass the other students that were on his way. And then he stopped at a booth.

Being the stalker that I was, I looked closely at Sakuragi-boy. He wasn't Sakuragi after all (duh!). Although if Sakuragi is a real person, he probably has the same face as this guy I'm looking at. (Sakuragi is a delinquent! I hope you watched the DVD.) His face is fierce and wild and a bit scary. I heard him say to a female _senpai_ sitting in the booth:

"I don't care about that. Give me a paper. I'll just write my name and go back."

I am nosy so I edged a little closer to see what is he writing. The paper was an application form for the basketball club. He clumsily wrote all the information required. I practiced with writing Hiragana and Katakana and memorized a few Kanji so I can read a few Japanese.

His name is Kagami Taiga. Too far from Sakuragi Hanamichi that I was hoping, but hey, he was applying for basketball so that was again a similarity. I read on and learned that he is also a first year like me and went to Middle School in America. He left the box asking for goals blank and then submitted it in. The female senpai asked why he left it blank.

"…None in particular. After all, Japanese Basketball, it's the same thing everywhere." Kagami Taiga said, walking away.

I thought he was cool. I was very happy that he, like me, also came from another country. I could talk to someone in English. Finally!

I followed him and called out to him in English.

"Hey!"

He turned and looked down at me. Compared to him I was really small like a dwarf! It made me a little uncomfortable. I smiled unsurely.

"Ehehe, uhm, wow, you're really tall!" I said.

I know! That was very lame of me! Kill me now!

"Who are you?" He said. His English isn't bad. But he is really scary. He was scowling at me. Man, I mean, seriously, his eyebrows are split in half!

"My name is Maya. I just saw you submit an application for the basketball team and learned that you had your Middle School in America. You see, I also came from oversees and this is my first time in Japan and I wasn't really adapting to it yet. So when I saw that you had your Middle School in America, I thought I could talk to you since I am not really yet good in Japanese. I mean, were comrades!" I was babbling and repeating myself and sweating like crazy. As I said, I'm not much of a social person.

"Ho, so you're stalking me?" He said calmly.

It's like a big rock has fallen on me out of nowhere. I choked. I wasn't exactly stalking him. How could he just state that calmly to a stranger?!

"Stalking?! I'm not!" I shouted. Several students looked at our direction.

I quieted down. "I told you, we are comrades! You should be helping me for the sake of brotherhood."

"You're a girl!" He said. I am not sure if it was sarcastic.

"Ok, I meant for the sake of helping other people out of your pure and kind heart."

There was a long pause and then he turned around and started walking.

"So what do you want me to do?" He asked, his back on me. He was walking in long strides that I had to run to keep up with him. Since it seems that he's already allowing us for a casual conversation, I assumed that we are already friends; hence I decided to get comfortable with him.

"For starters, let's talk. Aren't you glad you made your first friend in high school?"

"Not really." He said indifferently.

With his height and body built, we easily made our way inside the school building. Just to clear matters, I did not be-friend him because of this. Ok, maybe a little because of this but it's not entirely the whole reason.

"What class are you in anyway?"

"First year, class B."

"Whoa, we're the same! Do you know where our classroom is?"

He looked at me like I'm some kind of a retard.

"It's in the first floor. Japan classrooms are systematized according to level. First years, first floor, second years, second floor." Kagami Taiga explained while looking down at me. On me. I fidgeted.

"Will you stop glaring at me?" I asked nicely.

"I'm not. This is just the way I look." He said.

"How tall are you anyway?"

"190 centimeters. Six feet and two inches."

My eyes almost bulged out from its socket. I am not good with estimating things, so I was really shocked to learn he's over six feet. Sakuragi is shorter than him by a centimeter. "Shit, for real?! Are you sure you did not take steroids when you're in middle school?"

"That is very rude to say to the person you just met." Taiga said offended.

"I'm sorry. No wonder you play basketball!"

"Hmp. And I'm good at it." He said smugly.

"You're a bit of a show off, aren't you?" I said with a comeback.

We arrived at our classroom. I can only say it's so anime-like. I mean seriously with the sliding doors and the room name tag. My heart is beating fast and I was really nervous. This is my first day in school after all.

Taiga was about to open the door when I stopped him.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked wide-eyed.

"Just give me a minute to collect myself." I said, breathing deeply and then exhaling.

"Are you an elementary student?" He asked sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes and ignored my new Sakuragi-look-alike friend. When I finally calmed down I nodded to Taiga as a permission to open the door. This will be my new life. A totally new environment, new people and new experiences. Just imagine a bright white light that welcomed us for dramatic effect!

And then there. It was a normal anime classroom set-up, except they were real people. Ok, I should stop comparing everything with what I watch. I seated in my assigned sit. Taiga sat in the back. Minutes later, our homeroom teacher came. Since we are first years, he required us to introduce ourselves. When it's my turn, I got cold feet. I started to stammer. I mean literally, I started with' uhm', paused with 'uhm', ended in 'uhm' while forming the right sentences in Japanese to introduce myself. I said my name, where I came from, and the situation I am in and when I'm finished, they applauded and cheered for me. Even though it took me three minutes! I blushed. I wasn't expecting this kind of welcome. Relief overcame me when I sat down. My new friend, Taiga's introduction is loud, energetic and strong which speaks for what kind of person he is. He finished his introduction in half a minute. Yes. He is totally a show-off.

During lunch break, a few classmates came and talked to me. Two of them, both females, I easily got at ease with. Their names are Mika and Toru. Both of them are pretty and cute. And I have the feeling that we will be really good friends.

"Do you and Kagami-san know each other?" Mika asked. We're talking in Japanese and I am grateful that they are talking slowly for my sake.

"Not really. I just met him this morning."

"Whoa, really? You seem close to each other. You call him by his name." Toru explained. Remembering that Japanese people address others through their family name, I slapped my forehead.

"I forgot. I should be calling him Kagami-san, instead of Taiga right?"

The two laughed.

"I think its ok. He doesn't mind you calling him Taiga anyway." Toru said.

"Err, since it's hard to change habits, can I call you by your names? You can call me Maya." I asked for permission.

"No problem. Just add –chan as a suffix." Mika said humorously.

"Then, Mika-chan and Toru-chan, I am in your care." I said to them, bowing my head.

The two burst out laughing.

"You don't need to be very formal all of a sudden!" Mika-chan said.

The day ended with me worried. I'm totally going to flunk all my tests if I did not put my effort into learning Japanese. The homeroom teacher warned me so. Since Mika and Toru's home is in the opposite side, we have to part at the school gate. Taiga, on the other hand, said they will be having a freshmen meet-up in the gym for the basketball club so I ended up going home alone. Not that Taiga and I are going into the same direction. Taiga is taking the train and I only walk. It seems that his house is a bit (too) far. Anyway, I seriously need to fix my life here or else I will suffer.

Love always, Maya.

P.S. I confess. I think Taiga is really Sakuragi that's why I befriended him. And please congratulate me; I just made three friends on my first day in high school. I'm actually very proud of myself today.


	3. The Perks of Kuroko Tetsuya

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

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**_April 13_**

Dear Friend,

Remember Kagami Taiga, the Sakuragi Hanamichi look-alike? He is totally full of himself. I guess he deserves to show-off but man, as his friend, I felt embarrassed by what he did. (Also a bit awed but I have to settle with embarrassed.) Two days have passed ever since the dreaded first day in high school, and I am adapting gradually to the Japanese lifestyle. Everyone is gathered in the school ground for the morning assembly. And then out of the blue, from the school rooftop, Taiga shouted.

"Class 1-B, seat 8, Kagami Taiga! I will defeat the "Generation of Miracles" and become number 1 in Japan!"

Everyone was surprised! And I finally got to say "NANI!" with a shock face. I just perfected that expression. Anyway. Since Taiga is not eating his lunch in the classroom, I had to wait on him until his practice was finished after school. We stopped by Maji Burger, a nearby fast food restaurant because he is really hungry. Hungry isn't the best way to describe his appetite by what he ordered though. It's enough to feed ten people. He just ordered ten hamburgers! Can normal people eat that?! No wonder he got so tall! I waited until he has his second before I spoke.

"Are you an idiot?!" I said. I was really happy saying this famous line. Every anime has this line! I spend awful waiting hours just to say this to Taiga since he was the only one I could say this to. Mika and Toru are out of the question.

"The teachers already lectured us." Taiga said.

"I just wanted to say 'are you an idiot'." I confessed. "Anyway, what was that about?"

"It was the coach's requirement to be a real club member. Either that or confess naked in front of the girl you like."

"That was a bit extreme. For basketball." I said, fishing out the fried fries.

"But the teachers…really, do they have to be that angry because I spoke a little bit loudly?"

"A bit loudly? That wasn't your loudest?!" I asked him aghast.

"I hadn't done anything yet and I still got scolded…" said a voice.

And he appeared. A guy with sky-blue hair and eyes, with the uniform of Seirin. He was sipping a soda. And he was sitting beside me. I choked with the fries I just ate. It got stuck inside my esophagus and I can't breathe. Oh my god, I can't breathe! Taiga sprayed out the soda out of his mouth and the liquid splattered into my fries. I could have said that was disgusting and demanded a new one but currently I'm in the process of dying!

"And it has become quite a problem." The guy said.

Shit! I can't breathe!

"That's true…" Taiga agreed with him. My eyes are watery now but both of them seemed to be oblivious to what's happening to me so I pounded on the table. I'm dying! For god's sake!

"AHHH!" Taiga shouted seeing my situation. He immediately stood and gave me a good slamming just below my sternum by his fist. If I didn't die from choking then I probably die from what Taiga just did. Jeezus, he is ridiculously strong! I think I just broke a bone! The fries came out from my mouth and it landed on the wet fries. I was exhaling heavily while the three of us looked at that disgusting piece of fried potato that nearly caused my death.

Recovering from a near-death-experience, I was glaring at the guy who is now in front of me. I sat beside Taiga to get a good view of this villain. I know it's rude, but he just got me killed, appearing out of nowhere like that! It seems that he is in the same club with Taiga.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, rudely.

"Hello, nice to finally talk to you Maya-san." He said nicely. I already felt guilty.

"Uhm, do I know you?"

"We are classmates. I am Kuroko Tetsuya."

I looked at Taiga and he nodded that he is indeed our classmate. My face turned red.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know!" I apologized.

"Its ok, it's actually happening to me a lot." He said this so seriously, I wondered if he is hurting or just completely indifferent.

"Kuroko here has really unnoticeable presence." Taiga explained.

"So when did you sit with us?" I asked.

"I was here first." He said mildly.

"So I've been sitting beside you from the start?"

"Yeah."

All the hairs of my body stood from goose bumps. I feel really freaked out by this creepy person called Kuroko! I nearly fainted.

"Maya! Get your act together!" Taiga said.

"Anyway, it doesn't seem that I will be able to fulfill my part of the promise anytime soon. What will I do if I can't join the club?!" Kuroko sadly said.

"There's no way that can possibly happen!" Taiga said. "Anyway, you are good enough to be called the phantom sixth player, right? Why didn't you join renowned schools like the other members of the "Generation of Miracles"? Do you have a reason to play basketball?"

Although Taiga seemed to be asking Kuroko a serious question, I can't help but be curious and ask them about the Generation of Miracles and Kuroko being the Phantom Sixth Player. I have no idea what they are talking about and I feel bad if I was left out with the conversation.

After Kuroko explained that the Generation of Miracles is the strongest basketball team in the history of Kuroko's Middle School, strong enough get the national championship; and after Taiga explained that Kuroko is one of the Generation of Miracles that comes only once every ten years. I asked.

"Ehhh… so why did you choose Seirin, instead of Kainan or Shoyo?"

Taiga looked at me like I'm crazy. "That just what I asked him! And what is this Kainan and Shoyo thing? What are you talking about?"

I gasped. "I can't believe you don't know Kainan or Shoyo?! And to think that you're a basketball player!"

"_Dakara!"_ Taiga said exasperated. "What on earth are you saying?"

I dropped the subject noting that Taiga doesn't watch anime and let Kuroko state his reason why. I kept my mouth silent the whole time that he explained to keep any unnecessary comments. Taiga and Kuroko take basketball (maybe a little) too seriously. Kuroko is even coaxing Taiga with him being number 1 in Japan, including Seirin, and that he will be Taiga's support. To this I rolled my eyes.

"Tetsu, do you mind if I call you Tetsu? Kuroko and Tetsuya are a bit long." I butted in.

"Ehm, you can call me anything you want." Tetsu said.

"Great. So Tetsu, I'm just warning you to not make Taiga's head bigger than it already is."

"Oho, and just how big my head is?" Taiga said, eyes dim. His (super) big hand grabbed my head like I'm a basketball. And it's gripping it too tightly. Despite this however, I'm amazed that he can grab my head just with one hand.

"Just to remind you, I'm a girl. You have to treat me a little better!" I said to Taiga. He released his hand.

After a few minutes of talking about basketball, we went home. I learned that Tetsu's house is very far from Seirin. He really is dedicated to go to a school as far as Seirin for basketball.

Before we part, I suggested he watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. It will help him communicate with what he wants to say.

This morning, the school is at a big commotion because on the school grounds were written in extremely large fonts.

"I WILL MAKE YOU THE NUMBER ONE IN JAPAN."

I knew instantly that it was Tetsu. He just forgot to write his name. That idiot. I hope their coach sees what he did and make him an official member of the basketball team.

During class, l tried to feel the presence of Tetsu but I failed. He just appears in his seat at the back whenever he wants to or whenever I call him. He is extremely gifted with this unnoticeable presence thing. I even interviewed our classmates about Kuroko Tetsuya and it seems that they are all unaware that he even existed! The teachers, Taiga, me and now Mika and Toru are the only ones who know about him.

At lunch break, I introduced Tetsu to Mika and Toru. They almost screamed when he appeared.

"Whoa! That was amazing!" Mika said.

The three of us are crowding around him, looking at him like he is a prized jewel.

"See, I told you! He is amazing." I said, proud to have a friend like him.

"Can you do that again?' Toru requested.

"Uhm, I am not really sure, now that you've noticed me." Tetsu said mildly, again.

"What if we turn around and count to five?" Mika suggested.

"Uhm…" Tetsu said unsurely.

"Yeah, yeah! That's a great idea!" I said.

The three of us turned and counted to five. When we turned back, Tetsu was gone. All of us made an "ohh" sound.

"Tetsu, show yourself." I ordered, extending my hand to where he was seated, as if performing an incredibly awesome magic.

And then he appeared! The three of us cried in surprised and then laughed, praising how awesome Tetsu is. Just when I was having fun, a (super) big hand grabbed my head again.

"What do you think you are doing, Maya?" Taiga said, again, his eyes dim.

I sweated and laughed nervously. I looked around but Mika and Toru moved away in such a considerable distance. Those traitors! They even have the guts to cheer me on!

"We're getting friendly with Tetsu…" I said.

"You're making fun of him!" He accused. I gasped in shocked.

"He's my friend! How can I make fun of him?!"

"No, it's ok. I was enjoying myself as well. And you shouldn't be really doing that to a girl." Tetsu comes to the rescue. Taiga released his hand.

"You don't have to defend Maya." Taiga said to him.

"But I'm not."

"See!" I said. I stuck my tongue out at Taiga.

I, then, held Tetsu's shoulders so that we're looking at each others eyes. "Tetsu, if ever Taiga bullied you too, just tell me…"

"You'll save me?" Tetsu asked.

"No." I said flatly. "I'll call the teachers."

"Oh."

"Tetsu, understand that someday, you will become a great ninja!" I said with such conviction, I saw for a moment that Tetsu's eyes sparkled.

And so that ended my day. I made another incredible friend. Tetsu really does amaze me. I decided to feel his presence from now on! He's such a character; it's the first time that I saw someone like him!

Love always, Maya.

P.S. I'm going to kill Taiga. His grip just caused marks in my head! That idiot!


	4. The Perks of Kise Ryouta

**Don't be mistaken, I love Kise:) About the mention of Haruka, I'm really not sure if she did that, but let's assume that she did, ok. Too lazy to verify, hehe.",**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

**_April 24_**

Dear Friend,

I just witnessed an awesome basketball match but also saw something I probably shouldn't have.

Seirin had a practice match with Kaijou High School! Apparently, the Kaijou team also has one of the Generation of Miracles that Tetsu and Taiga are talking about. I wouldn't learn about this if Tetsu didn't tell me yesterday! Taiga was too excited about the game that it was all he could think about, but that doesn't excuse him that he still forgot to tell me!

"Ehhh! I want to watch!" I said to Tetsu.

"But it will be held in Kaijou High School tomorrow."

"Kaijou? Where is that?"

"It's quite far."

"But I can watch, right?!" I repeated.

"Do you know where Kaijou High is, Maya?" Toru asked.

"No. But I want to watch. Are audience prohibited in a practice match?"

"No." Tetsu answered.

"Then I can watch. Toru and Mika can come with me."

"Ehhh!" Both of them said.

"We have a class tomorrow!" Toru reminded me, as if I don't know.

"We can skip the afternoon class…" I suggested.

"_Dame_!" Both of them said, making a cross sign with their hands.

"Please. Just this once, let me be a bad influence to you! I want to watch their first game!"

I knelt in front of my two friends, put my hands together and pleaded.

"I'll treat you with lunch and the train tickets. Plus you can do anything to me for a month. Tie me! Slave me! Just this once, please! Please! Please!" I continued.

"Maya-san, I think that's a bit too much…" Tetsu said.

I really want to watch their game. It will be my first time seeing Tetsu and Taiga play and I want to see it. I put my best puppy eyes into effect. It works in anime and hopefully it works here.

"Yep, we'll watch!" Mika said to Tetsu immediately.

"Yoshimura-san, why are you breathing hard, blushing and drooling like some kind of a…"

Before Tetsu could finish his sentence, Toru gripped Tetsu's left shoulder. There was a sound of breaking - probably a branch in the nearby tree or maybe Tetsu's shoulder-bone. Tetsu fainted, his face dropping with a loud thud in his own desk.

"Ok, then. We will come with you." Toru said to me, smiling until it reached her ears.

"Yey!" I happily cheered.

You could say that our escape from Seirin is probably the most dangerous thing I have ever done in my life. It was a suicidal act. Like the Charlie's Angels type of mission thing-y. After we ate lunch at school (my treat), the three of us moved with stealth. We climbed walls like Spider-man and ran like The Flash.

Kaijou High School is 5x larger than Seirin. Due to the life-death situation that we just did, I had to excuse myself to pee. My urinary bladder is totally connected with my nerves. Following the instructions my friends gave me (they have to repeat it three times) I finally found the rest room. They went first inside the gym to make sure we have the seat in the lower bleacher just above Seirin's bench. For a practice match, it's unusually crowded, mostly by females.

Coming out from the bathroom, I saw a good-looking man in front of the nearby vending machine. He was as tall as Taiga. His hair was blonde and his form, perfect. If this was an anime, he is the print-ad model type of _bishounen_. His right hand is pressing the face of vending machine and he was talking to it - TALKING TO A FREAKING VENDO!

To verify this major turn-off, I edged closer. I can now hear what he is saying.

"This time… I … I..." He breathes heavily. And then caressed with his left hand what seems to be a picture of someone. I can see now that his right hand was pressing a picture in the vendo. "I'll make sure you're not going to turn me down again, Kurokocchi! Ahhnn…"

My God. Did he just "Ahnn?!"

Seriously?!

'Ahnn?!'

I try not to dwell on what happened there. And did he just say Kurokocchi? Isn't that Tetsu with a -cchi? Shit. I just stumbled upon a good-looking weirdo! I took a step backward but my shoes made the 'clack' sound.

Why?! What did I do to deserve this?! It wasn't my fault that I saw what I just saw!

He turned toward my direction. It gave me the feeling of witnessing something horrifying. I did. But well, the feeling was horrifying, I can't really explain it!

"Ah!" He said surprised and immediately backed away from the vending machine. The picture he was holding slipped pass away from his hand, swaying like a leaf in an autumn's day, dropping on the ground before me. I picked up the picture, intending to return it to him, but my eyes stayed on it.

"Ah." I said stupidly.

It was a stolen picture of Tetsu. I wouldn't mistake him for another person because he is the only one with that sky-blue hair and eyes! The realization that he was f*ck*ng Tetsu's stolen picture hit me!

A very long and very uncomfortable silence occurred between us.

Literally stone-faced, like the Moai found in Easter Island, I carefully put down the picture on the ground – exactly where it dropped before. Still stone-faced, I bowed down, making sure I wouldn't make an eye-contact and exited.

I was clearly horrified but I can't feel that I really am. It's probably due to shock or something.

Stone-faced, I sat with my friends.

"What happened to you? You look like you're having a diarrhea!" Mika asked.

"Please! Don't ask me about it!" I cried with desperation as I covered my face with my hands.

I know Japan has these kinds of people, their stages ranges from mild to extreme. It's just that, I never thought … I mean… how am I supposed to react to that? I just saw Tetsu's picture with him in the vending machine! That guy and Tetsu… they couldn't have, could they?!

A few minutes' later players from both sides assembled to start the game. I was surprised that the first five included Taiga and Tetsu. And then in the bench of Kaijou High, I saw the Good-Looking-Picture-F*ck*ng-Weirdo.

"HOOOOLLLYYYY!" I inhaled.

"What? What is it?" Mika asked, suddenly alarmed and worried.

I pointed to the Good-Looking-Picture-F*ck*ng-Weirdo.

"The blonde over there!"

"I know! He is very handsome!" Mika agreed.

"No! No!" I shook my head. "Do you know who he is?" I asked.

"His name is Kise Ryouta. Kuroko-san and Kagami-san seem to know him." Toru said.

So he was one of The Generation of Miracles in Kaijou Taiga and Tetsu were talking about! I really wanted to tell Mika and Toru that Kise Ryouta f*ck*d Tetsu's picture, but then I don't really know what exactly happened. Echoes of his "ahnn" replayed inside my head.

NO.

I don't know what happened. It's better if I forget it.

I exhaled. I told myself to just watch the game.

Later on, Taiga, the show-off, slammed the ball into the ring for the first basket and he destroyed it! He destroyed the goal! I shuddered, remembering the 'slam' that he gave me when I was choking! Although no bones were broken, as shown by the X-ray, (yes, I had it checked-up) I incurred bruises. I made Taiga pay for the hospital bill of course.

"Kagami-kun is really strong!" Mika said, amazed.

"He's overdoing it." I said.

"He just showed everyone how good he is." Toru said.

Good-Looking-Picture-F*ck*ng-Weirdo named Kise, now included in the first five of Kaijou, returned the favor by also slamming the ball, almost just like what Taiga did. Agitated, Taiga and Tetsu went for their team play offense. I don't really know basketball. My primary knowledge came from the fact that I watched Slam Dunk. So at least I know that the two teams are going at each other. They just keep shooting and shooting. And in fairness to Taiga, he really can play basketball well. It's just that he has a serious case of anger management issues. He is too fired up. And in-fairness to Good-Looking-Picture-F*ck*ng-Weirdo named Kise, he also play well.

"Who's the coach for our team?" I asked my friends.

"It's the girl senpai over there." Toru said.

'Whoa? She's the coach? Is that even aloud?"

"Well, she's the coach isn't she?" Mika said.

"Ehh, what's her name?"

"Aida Riko. She's one of the top students among the second years." Toru informed.

After playing for five minutes, Seirin requested for a time-out. The score is 22-25 in favor of Kaijou.

"Our guys seem to be very tired." Mika observed.

"They're playing too seriously." I said.

"Kaijou isn't some school you look down when it comes to basketball." Toru said.

"You're quite well informed."

"Of course, I am an expert in the investigation field after all."

"Then why didn't you join the News Paper Club? You could have put that skill of yours into good use."

"Toru already has a part-time job in the local newspaper." Mika said.

"Waa! That's amazing!" I said.

"Wait 'till you hear Mika's sideline." Toru said.

"Sideline? Part-time work?" I asked.

"She's a _mangaka_."

"Mangaka?!" I said totally surprised.

The game continued. A few minutes later, Taiga laughed. He was saying something to Kise and then to Tetsu. And then instead of Taiga, Tetsu is marking Kise. It was a turn of event, really. But I was too shocked ('that' event with Kise is already buried in the deepest corner of my brain never to be remembered again) to learn that one of my friends is a mangaka, I hardly watched the game.

"Mika, for real?! I didn't even know you draw!" I said. Mika grinned at me embarrassed.

"Well, I did work on a manga when I was in middle school and it earned an award or two, so it was serialized."

"Oh my gosh, that is amazing!"

"Ehehe, not really."

"Can I have a copy your work?" I asked.

"No!" Mika flatly refused me.

"Eh, why?!"

"Ahahaha!" It was a high-pitched laughed, and then her eyes turned bloodshot - like the eyes of someone ready to kill or hurt or do something to somebody. "You can't read it yet!"

"O..okay." I stammer.

And all of a sudden, Tetsu got injured.

"What happened? Is that blood?" I asked.

"It was Kise's fault." Toru reported.

"It was an accident." Mika said.

"I hope he's ok though!" I stood.

"Eh, where are you going Maya?" Mika asked.

"Just going to check Tetsu's injury. I'll be back in a minute."

"Is that even allowed?" Toru said.

"Don't worry, Haruka went inside the court when Akagi got injured." I gave them an okay sign.

"What are you saying?!"

Mika grabbed Toru's shoulder to stop her. "She's talking about an anime."

"She's an otaku?!" Toru unbelievably said.

I got the permission from the coach to tend Tetsu's wound since I told her I have trainings concerning first aid. It's the truth, I wasn't lying. My goal is to become a surgeon someday so I really have interests with wounds and blood and gore. Kind of.

I let Tetsu lie on the bench, clean the bloodied head and put some bandages on it.

"Thank you Maya-san." Tetsu said deliriously.

"No problem, but you can't go back and play, yes?"

Tetsu seems to protest but he fainted soon after. Taiga came.

"Maya?! What are you doing here?" He asked surprised.

"Eek, you just noticed that I'm here?!" I asked him. "I came to watch your game! Tetsu is really kind to invite me to watch."

I was glaring at him.

"Why are you angry at me then?!" He asked.

I ignored Taiga and repeated my findings to Aida-sempai that Tetsu fainted, obviously in no condition to play.

"Kuroko-kun can't play anymore so only the remaining members have to do what they have to do!" She said, obviously in a dilemma. She began to instruct the roles of the players in the court. She told Taiga to play defense.

"Eh, but…" Taiga protested.

"It's alright, you fucking moron! Believe in your sempais for once or I'll kill you!" Said the guy with the number 4 jersey. He was the Seirin version of Kogure in Slam Dunk, except that he got some spunk. I admired him from that moment on! Taiga was stupefied and I sneered at him. Taiga looked at me menacingly.

"Listen to your senpai, moron or he'll kill you." I repeated.

"Shut up!" Taiga said.

The game was at the end of the third quarter and Seirin in really in a pinch. Still in favor of Kaijou, the score is 68-74.

"Coach, is there a way out of this?" A co-freshman asked Aida-sempai.

"They don't have enough stamina for a complex strategy, if Kuroko-kun is playing…" Aida-sempai said.

At the mention of his name, Tetsu got up. I cried in surprise.

"Well then, I am going." He stated.

"No you can't!" I reprimanded him.

"But the coach said…"

"No! No! No! I didn't. It was only a 'what if'." Aida-sempai said

"If I go back on court, the situation will change. I beg you. I made a promise to Kagami-kun to become his shadow." He reasoned seriously. Not that I find it convincing, but it made Aida-sempai have second thoughts.

"No, you can't! You fainted with that injury!" I pressed.

"But Maya-san…"

"As my patient, I am not recommending you to play!"

"You're not a doctor."

I grabbed his shirt like a delinquent. "HA?! You're saying something, Tetsu?"

"You're making a scary face, Maya-san." Tetsu said.

"Alright!" Aida-sempai said.

"Aida-sempai!" I protested, releasing Tetsu.

"If I saw that you are in any danger, then I'm substituting you immediately." Aida-sempai continued.

Aida-sempai assumptions were true. With Tetsu's presence in court, the flow of the game did changed. Although it came to a just-in-time-for-the buzzer thing; Taiga made an alley-hoop dunk. The score was 100-98.

"We won." I said, stunned by what just happened. And then an incredible sense of happiness overcame me that Seirin High won with the help of Tetsu and Taiga. My friends. Ahem!

"We won!" I cheered this time. The rest of us jumped because of the sweet taste of victory.

Later, I met with Mika and Toru outside the school and aside from treating them lunch; they coaxed me into treating them again. We ended up in a café near the train station. I'm going to get bankrupt!

"So, who do you like?" Toru asked.

"Like? I don't know what you mean?" I asked.

"Kuroko-kun or Kagami-kun?" Mika explained.

I gaped at her.

"I prefer tall and strong men." Mika said, obviously hinting that she'll be rooting for Taiga.

"Oh, but having a boyfriend with special talent is really something!" Toru said. She was going for Tetsu.

I choked for a second with the frap that I'm drinking.

"C'mon guys, it's not like that!" I said.

"Ohohoho!" They both laughed naughtily.

"You're hanging out with two varsity players and you feel nothing?" Toru asked.

"Yes, I feel nothing. Can we end this conversation please?" I said uncomfortably.

I really don't feel anything for Taiga or Tetsu. I have no idea why Toru and Mika even opened that topic. Anyway, having a boyfriend is probably the last thing in my to-do-list here in Japan. I mean, really!

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. We finished our drinks and was about to exit when I bumped into someone causing me to land in my (I wish, pretty) butt.

"I'm so sorry!" He said, helping me back up.

I know that voice somewhere, from the deepest pit in my memory, it suddenly burst forth like a geyser. Yes. Just as you guessed. I bumped with Good-Looking-Picture-F*ck*ng-Weirdo.

My face turned to stone. Memories that I'm horrified to remember came back to me like a tsunami.

"Ah!" He said, recognizing my face.

"Ahnnn…." I said in the same way he said it earlier. People stared at us and then an extremely uncomfortable atmosphere surrounded us. His handsome face turned red and I was about to die from embarrassment. I can't help it! It replayed in my mind and before I knew it, I already said it.

"Hahaha." Kise Ryouta, (Let's call him that shall we? For my sake? For his sake? For everyone's sake!) faked a laughed.

"Hello there, so we meet again. Can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked me.

He was asking me to talk to him. My mind is blank. What should I say to him? I started fidgeting.

"Uhm… but we're about to go home." I said, pointing Toru and Mika with my thumb. I was glad that they are with me.

"Oh."

"Actually, we can still make some time, so just talk to him Maya. We'll wait for you here." Mika said, winking. The traitor!

Toru whispered in my ear.

"Text us if you're going to spend the night with him."

"Whaa?!"

I was completely agitated because they just betrayed me, and completely flushed because of what Toru said (just what kind of girl does she thinks I am) and completely frustrated because they got the wrong idea!

Kise-san opened the door and waited until I came out. Then we walked a few meters away from the café, him leading, into a totally secluded place. It's just the two of us now. I started perspiring. Shit. What is this turn of events, all of a sudden?

Summoning my courage, I cleared my throat and said to him, still his back to me: "You don't have to worry about what happened, I have forgotten about it!" I assured him.

He turned with the incredible speed and impact you see in an anime; I heard the 'shoooshh' of the wind.

"You've completely misunderstood!" He said, desperately, eyes-wide. He was really close. And he was really hot, but…

"From where I came from, there are a lot of people like you, so I can understand. That's why you don't have to worry about it."

"Like I said, you misunderstood!"

"I promise I will keep my mouth shut…"

"I'm telling you…"

"I will not tell any soul…"

"That you're gay." I said.

"That I'm NOT gay." He said.

We said the last two phrases in unison. I blinked at him.

"You're not gay?!"

"Yes."

I was skeptical. He's probably still in the stage of denial.

"But I'm mean, you know, you just, uhm, earlier, in the vendo, with Tetsu's picture...you just, like, uhm…" I wanted to say that 'you are f*ck*ng Tetsu's picture!' but I can't really say it, can I? "…said ahnn."

I sounded like a retard.

"Because he turned me down as a friend and that was the sound of my heart aching." He explained, emphasizing the friend.

"But you call him Kurokocchi."

"I call everyone I acknowledge with a –cchi suffix."

"Is that so?" I asked, still unconvinced.

He suddenly held me by my shoulders and pulled me towards him. Our face was so close, I had to look away.

"I'm not gay, ok?" He said fiercely, this time.

Still looking away, I answered. "Yes, you are not gay. I already understand."

He released me.

"Since the misunderstanding was already cleared…" he smiled "I think we should be friends. I'm Kise Ryouta."

"Uh…" I wanted to say no, but, he was smiling (gorgeously) and glaring at me at the same time. "I'm Maya."

"Then, Maya-cchi. It's nice meeting you."

"Yeah." Great, I have the –cchi! I'm so happy, hahaha.

That was sarcastic.

"I'm not gay." He repeated.

So there. My friends playing basketball increased again. They are all turning weirder and weirder and weirder.


	5. The Perks of the Phantom Sandwich

**Kuroko no Basuke is not mine. **

***Yakitate! Japan!**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

* * *

**_April 25_**

Dear Friend,

I never thought Toru and Mika would take seriously what I promised them yesterday. I said they could do anything they want with me for a month. So they enslaved me the moment I step inside Seirin High. I knew then that my hard days in high school have started.

Before the class starts they gave me their notebooks.

"What are these for?" I asked.

"You said we can do anything to you for a month, so we are giving you your first task!" Mika happily said.

"Are you serious?" I cried.

"No. Do we look like we're joking?" Toru asked.

"But… but… friends forgive and forget!" I said ridiculously.

"Those are the hypocrite friends; true friends always remember." Toru said.

"What exactly do you want me to do with your notebooks?" Of course I knew. I was just hoping they would say a different one.

"We want you to take notes for the entire morning class." Mika said.

I knew it.

"Make it two copies, both handwritten." Toru said.

"That is cruel!" I protested. "What are photocopy machines made for!"

"Make a copy for yourself. We want it handwritten." The Red Demon Mika smiled.

"Besides, it's only for the morning classes for a month!" The Blue Demon Toru said.

"For a month?! My hands would die!"

"YOU MADE US SKIP THE AFTERNOON CLASS YESTERDAY." Toru said, quite angry.

"AND YOU MADE FRIENDS WITH A HOT BISHOUNEN!" Mika said, quite resentfully.

With the reminder of Kise Ryouta, my face turned to stone again.

Then our homeroom teacher arrived. They smiled at me, demon-style, as they went back to their seats. I, open-mouthed, stared at them as they do so. I can't believe this. This is clearly a violation of my rights, well, ok, I did say anything, but c'mon! I can barely write the kanji for 'easy'. I decided not to talk to them after this!

We are on our last subject for the morning (I am already crying because my hands started to get cramps and this will be the end, finally!) when the moron (as the sempai with the #4 jersey called him yesterday), Taiga, grabbed the teacher's head. All of us were surprised and shocked. I surely felt for the teacher; that (super) big hands of Taiga were not a joke! How many times do you think Taiga grabbed my head like that?! The feeling isn't very nice, I tell you.

"You were sleeping right, bastard?! Come to the teacher's room after class!" The teacher scolded him.

He was, indeed, sleeping. Even Tetsu is (still) sleeping. The teacher just didn't notice him because of his invisibility skill. I noted that its one of its advantages. Taiga, having that anger management problem, looked pissed. It was his fault, duh!

Finally, lunch break, and I can barely hold my spoon and fork. Yes, I use spoon and fork instead of chopsticks. I pitifully looked at my lunch that my Mom prepared. Just then shadows loomed over me. I can see the red and blue aura coming out from those shadows. I looked up and saw two demons.

"Hehehehe." Mika laughed evilly.

I groaned. "Isn't taking notes enough for you two?!"

"This is a special order, since it's the 25th today." Toru said.

I looked at them questioningly.

"Just tell me what it is!" I demanded.

"At the cafeteria, there is a special sandwich made with black iberian pig and the three best delicacies: caviar, foie gras and truffle." Toru said.

"So, you want me to buy that sandwich, right?" I started to get up.

"Yes, it is said that eating the sandwich makes you succeed at everything you do, ranging from love, school grades to club activities."

"Ho, so you actually believe that?"

"Well, it wouldn't hurt trying. Besides, it wouldn't be a famous legend if there isn't some truth in it, right?"

"Ok, then." I held out my hand for the money. They didn't move and looked at me questioningly.

I scowled at them. "Don't tell me…"

"_Arigato, Maya! Daisuki desu!_" Toru and Mika chorused.

"Mou!" I cried.

So I walked to the cafeteria. Lo and behold, everyone in the school wanted that legendary special sandwich. The cafeteria was cramped with students, there's no space left. And when I say want, it's like, I-want-it-to-death want. It was amazing, Japanese High School students fight to their deaths just for a sandwich! Just from seeing it there's no way I could buy one! It's probably sold out anyway. Just when I was about to go back, I felt the eerie presence of something evil and it made the hairs of my body stand like crazy. It was those two demons. They will sacrifice me just to get that damn legendary special sandwich.

I turned around and face the cafeteria – that amazingly crowded cafeteria.

"YAAAAHHH!" And I ran inside heroically to my death (play in your head any heroic theme here), only to be thrown outside. I tried again but still I was thrown outside. I scanned the crowd for possible entrance, although I didn't see any, I saw Taiga, standing tall. I called out to him.

"Taiga!"

I waived my hands upward so he could see me amidst all the people. I instructed him to carry me up to where he is, which he easily did. He is really strong. He carried me like a child.

"Maya, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I came for the legendary special sandwich." I wanted to add 'damn', but well… and then I noticed Tetsu. "Oh, hi Tetsu!"

"Hello."

And then I noticed the other guys with them - the freshmen who are officially members of the basketball club. I greeted them and properly introduced myself. They also did the same.

The one whose hair is semi-bald is Kawahara Koichi. Fukuda Hiroshi is the one with black, spikey hair. And the one who has light brown hair is Furihata Koki.

"Are you also here for that legendary special sandwich?" I asked.

"Yeah. But we'll die if the numbers of students keep increasing." Tetsu said.

"I know! I nearly did." I said to him crying. Tetsu patted my shoulders for comfort.

"Either way, we have to buy that sandwich!" Taiga said half-determinedly.

"What if Taiga throw one of you so that you can land right in front of the sales lady? That's easier, right?!" I suggested.

They looked at each other and then ignored my suggestion. The nerve!

"_Kora_! I'm actually serious!" I said to them.

"Exactly why we ignored you." The boys chorused.

"Eek!"

"Alright, then I'll go first. I'm not at Kagami's level, but I have some faith in my strength." Kawahara-san said.

"Gambatte!" I cheered for him regardless.

"WOOOHHHHHH!" He charged.

Point five **nano**seconds later, I saw his body thrown away. Aw, I knew that would happen.

"Wait! Now that I look carefully, it's impossible without real strength" Fukuda-san observed.

"The forwards of the rugby club, the linemen of the American football club, the sumo club, the weightlifting club…" He enumerated. And while he did, I said to myself, that I'm going to kill Toru and Mika for putting me up to this.

"We can't slip through with these guys' blocking!" Fukuda-san concluded.

"Interesting! I'll do it." Taiga, back to being a show-off, said.

"Kagami!" The guys cried.

"Be sure to bring back two sandwiches!" I said to him. He nodded.

"WOOHHH!"

One second later, he's out on his butt! I can see his face shocked. I covered my mouth to stop my laugh, but Taiga heard me. He growled at me. Ego hurt, he tried again. The basketball players with me finally decided to go together and support Taiga. They push and push, and push to get past the muscular men of other clubs.

As I watched, I realized that this is the battle of true strength. This is the battle of will and determination. This is the battle for the male species. So why on earth I am here?!

After a minute, we are still on the back of the cafeteria.

"Excuse me…" It was Tetsu's voice.

All of us looked behind.

"..I bought it." Tetsu was holding one legendary special sandwich in front of him.

Taiga grabbed his neck and asked him how he did that. He said he got pushed in by the crowd until he ended up in front eventually buying the legendary special sandwich.

While everyone couldn't believe what he just did, I asked Tetsu very nicely, with the perfect smile on my face.

"Tetsu, where's my legendary special sandwich?"

Silence.

"Eh?" He said to me stupidly.

"Where's my DAMN legendary special sandwich?" I repeated calmly.

Again, silence.

"Eh?" He said again.

A vein popped in my head although I'm still smiling. It seems that my smile is stuck in my face. "You could have bought another one; I could have paid it later. You know I want one! Ahahaha!"

I walked toward him, he step back on my first step. I gave him 3ooo yen.

"Go back and buy me one, ok? You can keep the change." I gave him the scary-smiling face.

I turned him toward the crowd and kicked him forward.

"Maya…" Taiga said.

"What?!" I turned to him and the other boys.

He stopped to say whatever he was going to say when he saw my face. The boys looked away.

After a few minutes, Tetsu was back. The boys cheered upon seeing him.

"Here's the sandwich Maya-san." He said, handing me the legendary special sandwich. "I'm sorry; I forgot your legendary special sandwich."

Since he apologized, I went back to normal. "Thank you Tetsu. Was it so hard?"

"Uhm,… no." Tetsu answered.

"Right answer!"

I smiled at him. Tetsu was still the same with that dead-pan expression of his but I recognize relief in his face.

I later learned that the basketball senpais asked the freshmen to buy it for them. They went to the rooftop while I went back to the classroom.

Feeling so tired, although I barely did anything (but, hey, I tried) I laid my head on my desk as I gave the legendary special sandwich to Toru and Mika.

"Whoa! It's the first time that I saw this. Look at these meats!" Mika said.

"You did a great job Maya!" Toru said.

"You better thank Tetsu, he's the one who bought it for me."

"Ok we will, but still, good work!" Mika said.

They cried in delight on how much the legendary special sandwich taste so delicious, but I was so tired to look at their happy faces.

And then I smelled the mixed aroma of something tasty. I drooled. I was reminded that I haven't had my lunch yet. I straightened up and saw the half portion of legendary special sandwich in front of me.

"Here. You haven't had you're lunch yet right?" Mika said, handing me the legendary special sandwich. I took it with my hands.

"Lunch break is almost over so you better eat it now." Toru suggested.

"You're giving the half to me?" I asked them.

"Well, you're the one who went to buy it. We only wanted a taste anyway." Toru said.

"Toru, Mika!" I cried. Tears came down from my face.

"Hai, hai, you better eat it now." Mika said.

I took a bite. If it was *Kazuma Azuma's Ja-Pan #44, it taste just like it. I went to heaven. Incredible taste!

"Look at that face!" I heard Mika cried in pleasure.

"Mika, stop that, you're drooling again." I heard Toru said.

No wonder legendary special sandwich is causing some ruckus.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. That afternoon, we had a surprised quiz in Math. I am not really good in Math. After we checked our papers at the end of the Math class, the only one who passed were Taiga who top the score, I followed, and then Toru, Mika and Tetsu.

And I swear, it's because of that legendary special sandwich! The larger portion you eat, the more successful you are! I hope they offer it during exam week.


	6. The Perks of Takeda sensei

**I need to make Maya a manager first so she can watch all the games:) Enjoy. Thank you.**

***Full Metal Panic**

****Lord of the Rings**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

_**May 24**_

Dear Friend,

The following are accounts of what happened to me during the week:

_19__th __of May. _

I just learned that it's called Golden Week because Japan celebrates four holidays in a week, three of which are consecutive hence I had all the time to rest. Anyway, yesterday, 18th, was the first official match of the Seirin Basketaball Club. I can't watch it due to the following reasons:

One. It's a Monday so obviously it's a regular class. Taiga and Tetsu are excused for being a varsity while I listened to the Language teacher who I can't really understand.

Two. Seirin called my parents to tell them that I skipped class. My mother totally freaked out and grounded me for a week. I mean, man! Do they have to tell my parents immediately? It's just the afternoon class! The worst part was when Mom learned that I was the perpetrator of skipping and I persuaded two of my friends. Together, we apologized to Toru and Mika's parents. And while my Mom berate at me, Toru and Mika's parents were like:

"Oh, well. Just make sure it won't happen again!'

What's with that great difference? So unfair!

Anyway, that was long ago. I promised Ma I will never cut class again. I mean, I knew better than to cross with my Mom. She's a scary tongue-lashing mother! Her vocabulary in scolding is endless.

So, I missed the game and I felt really bad about it. I've been gloomy ever since. (It's just a day past!)

"Will you stop sulking Maya?!" Mika said, waving her hands above my head as if to drive the unseen gloomy aura away.

"That was their first match for the preliminaries, you know!" I told them for the tenth time.

"If you really want to watch the game that much then why just become their manager." Toru said, annoyed.

Manager. I never thought of it! What Toru said was enlightenment! Like Buddha experiencing the bright white light coming down on him, overwhelming him with happiness and hope and all the feelings of rejoicing while the angels in the heaven sing 'Hallelujah' in chorus!

"Wait. I can really become their manager?" I asked for confirmation cheerfully.

"It wasn't a suggestion!" Toru said, telling me that I completely got it the wrong way.

"But I can, can't I?"

"Err, I think so." Toru said unsurely.

"How?"

"Maya, lets calm down and think this thoroughly." Mika coaxed as she puts her hand up as if to stop me. But I was too enlightened to think about it for the second time.

"If I become their manager, then I can watch Taiga and Tetsu play!"

Toru and Mika looked at me helplessly.

"If that's what you really want, then you better ask Takeda-sensei. He is the basketball club advisor." Toru said.

"Takeda-sensei? The wiggly old man with a cane?" I said, imitating the image in my mind - wiggling and trembling like an epileptic psycho.

"That's not how he is!" Mika said laughing at my comic relief. I was still epileptic.

"If he saw you like that, I doubt if he will make you a manager anymore!" Toru warned, stifling her laugh.

I stopped. "Don't you dare tell him!"

After class, I went to the faculty room to talk to Takeda-sensei. The old man was wearing the brown-green t-shirt and his eyes were closed when he looked at me. How was that even possible?! Japanese seniors are amazing, even Anzai-sensei was like this, just with the eyeglasses! I'm sure when Takeda-sensei open his eyes, it will be a revelation!

"Takeda-sensei, how are you. I'm Maya. I'd like to ask you something, if you don't mind." I bowed.

"Hello, Maya-san. What do you like to ask me?"

"Takeda-sensei, I heard that you are the advisor of the Basketball Club…"

"Yes…"

"I'd like to apply for the position of manager."

"Hm…" was Takeda-sensei's reply.

Seconds past, then a few minutes. The suspense is killing me.

"Hm…" he said again.

Uhg, seriously?

"Sensei?" I called.

"But we don't really need one!" Takeda-sensei kindly rejected my request.

It's like he threw a pail of water at me!

"But Sensei, surely you need another pair of hands!" I reasoned.

"Aida-san can handle everything by herself though. I'm so sorry Maya-san."

Sorry? I'm so sorry? Those are the hardest words to take! Takeda-sensei just rejected me! It was my first time experiencing rejection (aside from my parents) and it was shocking. My first rejection came from an old man!

"I'm sure Aida-sempai will be more at ease if there would be another female in the club." I tried to persuade him.

"Hm… I see your point but let me think about it first, ok?"

_22__nd __of May._

I waited patiently but it's been two days and Takeda-sensei hasn't told me what his decision is yet! I'm still hoping. But it's bugging the hell out of me! Why hasn't he called for me yet? It might be that he forgot, due to his old age? Or he's just by nature forgetful? I mean, his eyes were closed when he was talking to me! He might be sleep talking! Uhg! I'm practically drugged by impatience that my eyes are darting from side to side. I look like a pathetic drug user!

That old man! What's taking him so long?

I probably look like a mess that's why Taiga and Tetsu already asked me if I'm alright. To which I answered gloomily (as ever) as I look away in a far-off distance.

"I'm alright. Don't worry about me."

"Maya-san." Tetsu appeared in my line of vision. "If there's anything bothering you, you can always tell us."

I've always thought his eyes were beautiful. I took his face with my hands.

"Ahahaha!" I laughed like an addict. "Tetsu-chan, you have very beautiful eyes."

"Tetsu-chan?" He said to me, his eyes wide. I can see his retina and pupil very clearly. He backed away from me covering his face with his arms. I thought he was cute.

I rotated my head like in The Exorcist and saw Taiga looming over me.

"Did you know that I love red? That's why I love your hair Taiga-chuan!" I shouted.

"Shit! She's clearly out of her mind! What weed did she take? Marijuana? Or is it meth?!" Taiga asked frantically.

"She was rejected." It was Toru.

"Rejected by whom?" That was Tetsu.

All I'm seeing now is the white ceiling of our classroom. I feel really bad and sucky. It sucks! But my auditory nerves are still functioning properly so I can hear everything. So this is what rejection feels like.

Taiga: "For real? I never knew she even liked someone! Is it a senpai?"

Mika: "Hahaha! We'll you could say he is a senpai."

Tetsu: "When did she confess?"

Toru: "Last Tuesday."

Taiga: "But it's been three days now!"

Mika: "Tsk, tsk, Kagami-kun. It's hard to recover from rejection! It's like losing a basketball match."

Taiga: "We never lost yet."

Mika and Toru: "Wait till you do!"

Taiga: "Gah, but look at her! She looked like…err…"

Tetsu: "Kagami-kun, that's very rude, she can hear you, you know."

Toru: "But Kagami-kun is right, just look at her, she looked like…err… something."

Tetsu: "Shinda-san…"

Unknown: "Is there a Maya-san here?"

Mika: "Here! She's here!"

Unknown: "Takeda-sensei is calling for her. Tell her to see him in the faculty room."

At the mention of Takeda-sensei's name, I immediately came back to my senses. Color started to show on my face and like a flower in spring time that magically sprung forth and I came back all alive and well. Imagine all sorts of flowers in my background.

"Oi! Oi! Oi!" Taiga called. "What the hell is that reaction?!"

"It's Takeda-sensei." Toru said, meaning the man-in-question who rejected me.

"The one she liked is Takeda-sensei?" Tetsu asked shocked.

"And she actually confessed to him?" Taiga asked shocked and kind of disgusted.

"Maya was rejected by Takeda-sensei?" Tetsu repeated.

"The one you are talking about is actually here!" I said.

"Maya, I didn't know you had that kind of fetish." Taiga said to me, eyes wide.

I punched Taiga's stomach but I received the damage. Damn! His stomach was hard! He didn't even budge a bit.

"Ahaawwch!" I cried, holding the damaged fist.

"Did you do something?" He smugly asked.

"_Baka!_ Of course I don't have that kind of fetish! Takeda-sensei rejected me but it wasn't like that at all!" I explained.

Before they could ask anymore question, I dashed to the faculty room.

Takeda-sensei was sitting in his chair, wearing the same t-shirt he wore last Monday, and his eyes are still closed.

"Ah, Maya-san. I'm glad you came."

"Sensei!" I greeted. "So, have you thought about it?"

"Hm…"

That 'hm' again! Really. Old people!

"Sensei!"

"Aha, yes, before I make you a manager I just have one condition."

I hope it isn't perverted. Yes. I'm so bad to actually think that, but, you'll never know. I hold my breath as I waited for him to say it.

"I want you take care of the school's fishpond this weekend."

"Fish pond?"

"Yes. It's the Chairman's. The carps there are really expensive that's why I need someone to take care of it since I won't be here."

"Err, ok. Is that it?"

"Yes. If I saw that you've done well, then you can be the Basketball Club manager."

"Fufufu." I was actually smirking my widest smirk ever; my mouth even came out of my face!

"You hadn't ask Sensei, but I'm actually good with taking care of animals, be it land, air or water!" I said confidently thumping a fist over my chest.

"Hohoho!" He laughed like Anzai-sensei. "Then that's good to know."

"Yes! You can count on me! You better process my paper now!"

I was about to exit the room when Takeda-sensei called.

"Maya-san, I forgot to tell you. There have been cases in the neighborhood about a 'Koi Theif' lately so this weekend, you better be careful!"

"Koi Thief?" I echoed. "Sensei! What's that about?"

"Hm…" Takeda-sensei turned and ignored me. Like his senility turned to the worse at that precise moment. Seriously! There's a limit to how old you act! Sensei is overdoing it.

After class I asked Toru about a certain 'Koi Thief' and she confirmed that there is indeed such a thief. I started to have a bad feeling about taking care of the fishes.

"Although it sounds absurd, a thief has been roaming around the neighborhood to steal carps from residences and schools."

"What can he benefit from stealing carps?" I asked.

"There are carps that can be sold at a really high price. If I'm right, first class carps ranges from 500,000 to 1,500,000 yen."

"For a fish? 1,500,000 yen?" I was appalled by how ridiculous a fish in Japan can costs. And then I remembered that Takeda-sensei mentioned about the Chairman's carps being really expensive. I started to sweat and my heart started to beat loudly. Shit. I've got a bad feeling about this.

"Toru, can you tell how expensive a carp is?" I asked all of a sudden.

"No, I can't."

"Oh, I know someone!" Mika volunteered.

"Great! Can you call him and let him appraise the value of the carps in fish pond?!" I said.

30 minutes later, the four of us, including Mika's friend who is a pet shop owner, are crowding over the Seirin High's fishpond. The water is very clear and fresh so you can see the carps. There are three of them as big as the Pokemon Magikarp. And even though I am not a carp appraiser, I can see that they are really expensive. Their scales are pretty and shine like jewels. There were black, gold, yellow, orange and red.

Oh, yes. I really got a bad feeling about this.

"Oh, wow!" Koji-san, the pet shop owner, remarked. "It's the first time that I saw carps like these."

I gulp as I sweat at the same time. "So how much are they?"

"Hell, they are the most expensive fish there is. These carps are about 2 million yen each!"

"To-two Millio? Million?" I stuttered. I felt like fainting. My eyes literally dilated! There are three of them so all in all, 6 Million yen! Holy Macaroni! I'll be baby-sitting fishes who cost 6 Million yen! And if that 'Koi Theif'…

Whoa…. Oh my god! I don't even want to think about it! I rather have the end of the world! I suddenly hated the Chairman for putting 6 Million yen in a freaking fishpond! And I hate Takeda-sensei for putting me up to this task.

A few hours from now are the dreaded weekend. I went home and packed some clothes and foods and told my Mom that Mika and I will be having a sleep-over in Toru's house for two days. After calling Toru and Mika (who I already conspired with), she permitted me. I'll be camping in Seirin secretly and guard those freaking carps. I will be guarding them like how *Kyosuke guard Chidori. If I lost that 6 Million yen, Dad would kill me. Mom would kill me twice! Damn you, Koi Thief!

_23__rd__ of May._

The next day, the carps are still there. I made the fishes my obsession for the next two days that's why for the whole night; I didn't take my eyes off them. One night has only passed but I already looked like Tom Hanks after being trapped in an island for two years. Of course, I'm exaggerating! Since it was a Saturday, students belonging to clubs started to arrive. I was assured by their presence. Surely, the Koi Thief wouldn't attack yet and the carps are completely safe. After doing toiletries and hygiene stuff (thank god for the club room showers), I came out fresh but dead tired. I am dizzy and my head hurts so I decided to sleep to regain my strength.

**16:00:** First thing I did after I woke up is to check the carps. I still see Magikarp#1, Magikarp#2 and Magikarp#3, thank god! The school is still populated, so I went to the rest room again. Going back to the fishpond, I met Taiga and Tetsu in the corridor!

"EEKK!" I said.

"That was rude! And wait, what are you doing here?!" Taiga exclaimed.

I forgot that the Basketball Club also has practice during Saturday.

"Did you enter a club?" Tetsu assumed.

"No. I was guarding the Chairman's fishes." I said.

"Fishes?"

"Yes. Takeda-sensei asked me to."

"Maya, seriously, you should get a life. There are a lot of men in the sea!" Taiga advised.

"I told you, it's not like that!"

"Why are you guarding the Chairman's fishes then?" Tetsu prod.

I averted my eyes from these two basketball players. I can't tell them yet. I wanted to surprise them when I became the club manager.

"Just because!" I breathe.

After I told them that I camped out last night and plan to do the same today, and after I assured them (took almost half-an-hour) that I'm going to be alright, I went back to the Magikarps' Lair a.k.a the fishpond. I feel really happy when I see them swimming.

Taiga and Tetsu had to go back to clean the gym.

**19:30: **I'm eating noodles for my dinner. The only source of light is from the small lamp in front of me and from the emergency lights on the school walls. Hopefully nothing happens. I should really be commended for my bravery here. I blew the hot soup, (brought a thermos with me, totally packed for camping) and started sipping the hot fat strands of noodles when I saw a bright sky-blue eyes staring at me. It was so close! I shouted but it came out as choking. Damn it. It was hot!

"WAHHHGRBLSHHFHGARGH!"

My tongue got stung, and the soup that I was drinking was free-falling like a waterfall from my mouth back to the cup. A noodle even came out from my (cute) nose. Tetsu even pointed at it! Disgusting! There goes my dinner. I took out my tongue and fanned it with my hands while glaring at Tetsu. He was crouching in front of me and staring at me the whole time! That was kind of creepy!

"Mou! Just tell me if you want to kill me, Tetsu. Seriously, you frightened the hell out of me!"

"I'm so sorry Maya-san. Are you alright?" He asked. With the way he looked, I know I can't be angry at him forever.

"Yes, I am alright now! What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Uhm… I'm actually worried about you. Girls shouldn't be staying all night outside alone." He said sincerely.

And "Doki!" said my heart.

Ok. Tetsu knows what to say to a girl. That really touched me and I don't know how to reply to that! There was a long pause, and then I cleared my throat.

"Have you had dinner yet?"

"Nope."

I took out two cup noodles out of my backpack, and gave the other one to Tetsu.

"I really brought a lot. Would you like to have it with me?"

Tetsu smiled a little. This time my heart goes "doki, doki!" I ignored that and instead thanked the lamp for the light. That was the first time I saw him smile, even though its barely noticeable.

"Sure." He said.

I poured hot water on both our cups and ate in awkward silence. A few minutes later, a noise of a branch breaking startled us. I automatically gaze at the Magikarps' Lair's direction (I told you, I was obsessed with the Magikarps) which is only a few meters away. I can't see any Koi Thief. I sighed with relief. And then we heard footsteps. It was getting heavier and closer by the second. I started to get afraid so I squeezed close and chained my arms around to Tetsu's - who was alert and was gazing into the dark surroundings. Suddenly, a hand touched my head.

"KYAAAA!" I screamed. My heart almost jumped out from my body!

"Yo!" Taiga said with that low voice of his.

"Good evening, Kagami." Tetsu greeted.

"So you really are here!" Taiga said to me.

Although I was really surprised to death, I am also touched that I could cry. I started to get teary-eyed.

"Did you go here for me too?" I sniffed.

"Gah, don't cry!" Taiga reprimanded as he sat beside me.

I also lock an arm around with his.

"Thank you to you both!" I said still sniffing.

"So, were gonna stare at that fish pond all night or what?" He asked.

**2:10: **I was awoken by a sound. I opened my eyes and saw darkness. The light from the lamp died out – the battery empty. Then the sound again. I blinked. The three of us were huddled together, Tetsu in my left and Taiga in my right. The boys are sleeping soundly.

"Splash!"

I got up.

"Splash!" Shit! I looked toward the fish pond area and saw a black silhouette crouching over. It's the f*ck*ng Koi Theif! He is stealing my 6 Million carps! I was about to run to him but a (super) big hand stopped me and pulled me back.

"Shh!" Tetsu said, his index finger on his lips. Easy for him to say!

"It's the Koi Thief!" I whispered harshly. "He's stealing the Magikarps! We have to stop him! We can't let him! Takeda-sensei will freaking kill me! My mom will kill me!"

"Ok, just calm down, will you!" Taiga ordered.

"But…"

The splashing stop. I saw the Koi Thief stand.

"Taiga!" I whispered desperately. Taiga got up and started toward the Koi Thief but the Theif saw Taiga first so he ran toward the school building. Of all places, the school building?! Taiga ran after him. I got up to run after them. We are running all over!

"Stop!" I screamed.

"Give back my carps!" I shouted again. The carps weren't mine, but I was already in panic, so please understand. I then heard the breaking of a glass window.

Ok. Let me explain. Taiga is a fast runner but the Koi Thief is much faster. And I am so left behind. We only ran a few meters but I was already catching my breath. I seriously need to exercise! I saw the Koi Thief climbed the window and then Taiga followed. When it was my turn, I saw that the window the Thief broke was too high for a midget like me! Arg! Seriously! Of all windows, he has to break a high one. F*ck*ing Koi Thief!

"Ooff!" I jumped to the safe side but my upper body got stuck in the window sill. I can't move! The 6 Million yen! I wiggled and pushed, but I still got stuck.

"Taiga! Help me!" I called.

"We're gonna lose him!" He called back.

"But I'm stuck! Damn it!" I shouted.

Taiga run back to me and pulled me.

"What about the carps?!"

"Riiiipppppp!" That was my clothes getting torn at the side.

"Sorry." Taiga apologized.

The Koi Thief is already at the end of the hallway. Any seconds now, he will turn the corner and will be out of our sight, the Magikarps with him.

Already inside, I took a long breath and shouted.

"TETSU!"

"I'm right here!" He appeared just in time in front of the Koi Thief, right before he turned around. Shocked, the Thief landed on his butt!

"Quick! Throw me at him!" I ordered Taiga.

"What?" He asked in disbelief.

"Throw me at the Koi Thief!" I said again. The Koi Thief started to get up and retraced his step. I positioned myself, ready to be thrown.

"Ok, as I count to three, throw me like there's no tomorrow!"

"One." I started.

"Are you sure about this?" Taiga asked.

The Koi Thief is headed towards the stairs to the second floor.

"Two."

Taiga grabbed my head like a basketball.

"Wait!" I said. Taiga then held my hips.

"Not in the head!" I screamed. Taiga lifted me up over his head and took his stance, still holding my head and hips.

Now, I regret asking him.

"Taiga! Wait! Please, wait!" I was shrieking.

And then he threw me like a javelin toward the Koi Thief.

"Taiga, you bastard!" I yelled – slow mo - as I rocketed – slow mo-, Superman style, my way toward the Thief.

"You asked for it!" Taiga yelled.

I used my knee (still on air) to hit the Koi Thief – slow mo – in the head!

"Arggg!" The Koi Thief – slow mo – cried. His hand dropped the bag of carps he stole – in slow mo.

"My precious!" I had the reflex to catch it in slow mo. I now understood **Smeagol at that moment!

Well, to end the story, the Koi Thief was caught by the police (Tetsu called 911) and I safely return the damn 6 Million carps back in the pond.

Ending scene: The three of us gaze at the horizon as the sun rise in the east.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. Tetsu, Taiga and I were featured in the front page of the Sunday local newspaper. Takeda-sensei has no reason to refuse me now. Tomorrow, I'll start to be the Seirin Basketball Club's manager. Yayy!

The newspaper camera man took my picture in the side where the rip in my clothes are clearly seen. That pervert. I am so ashamed! I get featured for the first time in my life in a newspaper and that's how I look like!


	7. The Perks of Midorima Shintarou

**Yes, I have the same fetish as Maya's.**

*** Yu Yu Hakusho**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

* * *

**_June 15_**

Dear Friend,

Being a manager makes me so happy I could just cry! Takeda-sensei diligently processed my papers (with me pestering him without fail) so I could officially be Seirin's Basketball Club manager just in time for the sixth round of the Inter High preliminaries. It took a while, I know, but it's worth it.

Sadly, I missed the fourth and fifth round. Tetsu said there is one of the Generation of Miracles in one of the schools we (wahahhaha! I can now say "we", god, I am so happy!) have to fight in the final match. Not that I care. But then I probably should since I am now the manager.

So we arrived at a very huge gymnasium with two courts. It's the first time that I've seen one so I ran (yes, I am really drunk with happiness) in the middle and knelt on the floor and almost kissed it.

"Maya, stop it! You're embarrassing!" Taiga said.

I turned to him, my eyes in tears. "But I am so happy; this is the first time that I got to skip class legally!"

"Is that the only reason why you wanted to be the manager?" He asked.

"I became a manager to see something incredible in basketball! It's about time I experience this Slam Dunk madness!" I declared.

"Slam Dunk madness?!" Taiga asked confused.

"Haha, it's nice to see our new manager so energetic." Hyuuga-sempai said. He's the #4 wearing jersey player, if you remember.

"Waha, I'm so nervous. We've got two matches in a row against the Kings of the North and the Kings of the East." Fukuda-san said.

"Hehe, speaking of, where is the one with the Gen-M?" I asked.

"Gen-M?" Kawahara-san asked.

"Generation of Miracles. The name is too long!" I explained.

"Haha, the one with the 'Gen-M' is the King of the East, Shuutoku High." Fukuda-san pointed toward them.

"You idiot, at least learn that before you come here. You're the manager, aren't you?" Taiga reprimanded.

"Don't idiot me, idiot! Of course I am the manager, I have this don't I?" I said, pulling out a _harisen _out from nowhere.

Taiga looked at me like I'm really an idiot.

"What the heck are you going to do with a huge paper fan!"

"I'm fully in a role of a manager! It's the basics – a manager should at least have one like this! Ayako have one too, and uses the harisen like this." I said and then suddenly whacked Taiga in the head. In full force with no second thoughts. And I did not feel guilty.

"OWWW! What was that for?"

"It's revenge."

"Who the heck is Ayako?!"

I ignored Taiga and looked again at the Shuutoku High's direction.

"So, who is the Gen-M?" I repeated.

"The one with the green-hair and eyeglasses - Midorima Shintarou." Tetsu informed.

I looked at the green haired eyeglasses guy and stared. He is tall, like Akagi-tall. And f*ck! The eyeglasses. I haven't told you this but I have a thing for good-looking man with eyeglasses. Although it is only a mild case (ok, serious) but I really get attracted to them. Contrary to what Taiga is spreading around the school about me and older men, damn him! Take for example, Hyuuga-sempai. I wrote before that I admired him when he told Taiga he was a moron. I purposely left out that he was wearing glasses first. I mean, his case is different so let's not make a big deal out of it. I think he and Aida-sempai are dating anyway- not yet proven but this is just my romantic assumption between the two.

But why! Why is his hair green!

"Ehhh, another weirdo?!" I said in an attempt to hide my glasses-fetish.

"Maya, that was rude." Tetsu said.

"Tetsu, seriously, you're friends in middle school are getting weirder and weirder. I wonder what kind of life you have been living all this time!"

"How can you say that?"

I looked at him and then shuddered at what I remembered. "Just think of Kise-kun!"

"I'm getting what you mean. Kise is kind of weird." Tetsu affirmed.

And then we stared (Taiga glared) at the Shuutoku High Basketball Team.

"You're looking at the wrong opponent! If you get ahead of yourselves and we lose in the next match, you'll be just an idiot." Hyuuga-sempai said and turned Taiga's head.

"He's already an idiot, Sempai." I said. Taiga whose (super) big hand (already in a habit of grabbing my head) reached for me, but I slapped the hand away with the harisen. Oh, yeah!

I grinned at Taiga pompously.

"Tchk!" Taiga said.

So anyway, WE are up against the Seihou High for the sixth round.

A baldy with a shining head approached Taiga and insulted his red-hair and then he called up to his captain. He was shouting which I find really annoying.

"Captain, this is the guy you talked about right?! When you said that Seirin was super weak but one guy was incredibly strong!" He said.

I can't believe he called us, the Seirin Basketball Team, weak! And he said that loudly in front of us. The nerve! At least he could have mentioned Tetsu. Although he was that unnoticeable, but really, to ignore him completely?! He and Taiga are the ones who greatly helped the team. I shoved the end of my _harisen_, the hard part, on his head. It was done unconsciously, so please, don't think bad of me. It wasn't entirely my fault.

"Woho, you talk big for a shitty shining head." I said, looking up at him. He was taller, but I was glaring at him like a boss.

"I'm sorry; this guy can't read between the lines. He always immediately says what he thinks." The Captain who is very big and broad, said. The Captain bowed his head and with his hand, the Shining Head's (forcefully).

"You don't need to apologize since we'll be the one's winning." Hyuuga-sempai said as cool as he can get!

"I won't apologize for hitting him though." I said stubbornly while sticking my tongue out.

Tetsu mentioned that the game was important to the Sempais but let's cut to the chase and Seirin won – hardly - by 73-71. It was awesome but all of them were tired.

"Why! Seirin is a team that was only created last year! We definitely practiced a lot too!" Shining Head was shouting.

Ok, I didn't do anything to win the game, but I wanted to be a part of the Basketball Team and share everything related to basketball, as much as I am the manager, and so I was happy that we really won. And to hear this idiot complain…

"Well, just to remind you, you look down on us! Its karma, you shi…" But before I finished my sentence and raise my hand to give him the finger (my intention is the index finger, I swear!), a hand covered my mouth and bend my head backwards. It was Aida-sempai, and she was all teary-eyed.

"Eh, Aida-sempai?" I asked.

"It's an awesome match, Maya. And we just won against one of the Kings. Just be happy for everyone, yes?" She said.

"Ok." I acquiesced. "But Aida-sempai, you're bending my head too much, my throat is sticking out." I said with difficulty.

Aida-sempai released me and apologized. Then Hyuuga-sempai came and put a hand in her head to comfort her.

"The 'tears of joy' is for when we win the next battle." He said.

Now, tell me if they are not dating! Tell me if those two aren't dating!

Our next match will be with Shuutoku High. I do sympathize that having two games in one day is just too much. We have a three-hour break but I doubt that the guys will get their energy back in time, so as the manager (I'm really dedicated), I went to buy them energy drinks and foods. Coming out of the cafeteria, I accidentally bumped into him.

Midorima Shintarou.

I will not deny that I really find him attractive. I mean, he's kind of good-looking, plus he is tall, and he is wearing glasses. Except at that moment, he was carrying a life size raccoon-dog statue, and upon bumping to him, he dropped it. I was just thankful it didn't break.

"Ah!" I said recognizing him. And then I looked at the statue on the ground.

"I'm sorry about that." I bend to pick it up, but before I even lay my hands on it, he shoved my hands away. I noticed that his left hand is bandaged.

"Don't touch my lucky item!" He said rudely.

"Lucky item?" I couldn't help but ask.

"The horoscope forecast recommends lucky items that boost my luck. The raccoon-dog is for today. It has never failed me yet." He explained seriously.

I knew it! He is also a weirdo like Kise-kun! And of all things he has to be weird about, its horoscope. He was a horoscope-freak! I really should warn Tetsu about him having these kinds of friends! I looked at him open-mouth. And then, he shifted his eyeglasses in place (and I thought that was sexy, really!).

"Aren't you the Seirin Manager?" He asked. Still rudely.

"Uh, yeah…" I answered still stupefied.

"What's your sign?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Just tell me what your sign is." He reiterated, glasses shining ominously. Damn glasses! It was hypnotizing me!

"Pisces…" I answered dumbly.

"Hm, the daily horoscope program says that Cancer will have a fateful meeting with Pisces."

First thing, I don't know anything about horoscope. Secondly, I don't know how to react to what he just said. And thirdly, this is the first time I encountered such person. Fateful encounter? This? For real?!

"Why are your left-hand bandaged?" I asked just for the sake of changing the topic.

"It's for my left-hand shot."

"Oh, I see." I don't see. I don't get him at all!

Awkwardness followed. He pushed his glasses again. Damn fetish! Curse you!

"Anyway, it's nice having a fateful meeting with you. Just to tell you, today is the best for Cancers so you're team's going to lose." He said this in a high and mighty tone. And then he was off, holding that raccoon-dog.

When did it become a nice fateful meeting? And when did the zodiac signs correlate with a basketball match!? I dropped to my knees to understand these things. I also started to realize that despite all just happened; I still like him for that eyeglasses.

This really is a serious case. I'm in despair!

The time has come for the match. The only thing that I followed was when Tetsu punched Taiga. Yes, he punched Taiga. Awesome, right?! It was a thing to see, really. I never thought Tetsu could do that. I never plan to stop them in the first place. Aside from anger management issues, Taiga became **A**n exhausted **S**elf-centered jerk who don't like to pas**S** the ball. In short, **ASS**.

Quoting Tetsu: "Basketball is not a one-man sport!

And then Taiga punched him back.

"If we lose here, that'll just some feel-good trash!" Taiga said.

"In that case, what's 'victory'?" Tetsu asked seriously.

And then Taiga apologized. I'm sorry but I didn't get what they were saying, something to do with Gen-M again. I only got one thing though:

_Basketball is truly, indeed, deep._

In the end, Seirin won! 82-81. I just love winning! And since it was raining hard, Aida-sempai decided to eat at a nearby restaurant. The guys can't walk anymore, anyway. They are too tired.

Entering, my face turned to stone. I immediately saw Kise-kun with his Captain eating there.

"Oh, Mayacchi, Kurokocchi, Kagamicchi!" Kise-kun greeted.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, stone-faced.

"Hahaha, we watched your game of course!" He gave that gorgeous smile of his.

We ended up sitting with them. Well, actually, only Tetsu and Taiga were assigned to sit with them, but some spirits told me to look out for Tetsu, so I just have to seat between Kise-kun and Tetsu.

"What's with this seating plan... and why are you sitting with us, Maya?" Taiga asked.

I just "hmp!" at him.

And so, Seirin celebrated their victory. And then, there came Midorima Shintarou and his friend, who I later learned, to be Takao Kazunari.

"What are you doing here?! And just the two of you?!" The Seirin Basketball Club said.

"Well, our senpais left when Shin-chan went off crying!" Takao-san said.

And so the five of us were in one table. Kise-kun, Tetsu and I are seated adjacent to Midorima-san and Taiga. It was awkward for the boys.

"Well, anyway, lets order." Tetsu said coolly.

While Kise-kun and Midorima-san are discussing their unacceptable defeat to Seirin, getting revenge at the Inter-High and all that. (They really think highly of themselves, its quite irritating!) Taiga, Tetsu and I are eating contentedly, commenting when necessary.

"You are all talking too much. Basketball is something people do because they like it." Taiga finally said.

"Eh, so you can tell something like that too." I said.

"Kagami-kun also has his moments." Tetsu said.

"Shut up, you two!"

"Don't tell us what to think when you don't even know us!" Midorima-san said. So sensitive, this guy.

And then an _okonomiyaki_ came flying at Midorima's head, courtesy of Takao-san. He excused himself to clean.

"Excuse me, but let's continue our talk later." Midorima-san beat up Takao-san first before heading straight to the wash room.

I took this opportunity to question Tetsu.

"Is he really your friend?"

"Why are you saying that now?"

"Because, he is a horoscope-freak!" I said loudly, the other guys turned their head to our direction.

"You got that right!" Takao-san shoots me an approval. Hands in gun form.

"_Desho_?!" I shoot back. I rei-gunned him, like *Yusuke.

"Are we talking behind his back?" Tetsu asked.

"No, of course not!" I said, then continued.

"I'm just trying to point out that you reconsider your relationship with them. Like for example, with this one!" I thumbed the person at my back.

"Mayacchi, I think you're about to bad-mouth me!" Kise-kun said.

I looked at him with my stone-face. "Why would I do that Kise-kun?"

"Why do you look at me with that expression?"

"Eh? What expression?" I denied, still stone-faced.

"That face!" He pointed childishly. "Its look like you're suffering from diarrhea."

I laughed, stone-faced. "You're imagining things, Kise-kun!"

"I don't think so."

"But Maya-san, they are not really bad people, so I don't think there's anything wrong." Tetsu reasoned, answering me. I can't retort to that.

"That's right, Kurokocchi!" Kise-kun supported gleefully, giving him the thumbs-up.

"But... but..." I sputter. "Midorima Shintarou is carrying a raccoon-dog statue with him!"

"Raccoon-dog statue?" Taiga asked. I nodded.

"Ah, he still has it. It's in the rickshaw." Takao-san said.

"Would you mind getting it?" I asked of him nicely.

A few seconds later, we are all looking at the raccoon-dog statue.

"See what I mean? He was carrying this thing. Don't you think it's weird?"

"Well, this would be his lucky item for today." Kise-kun offered to explain. I know this, of course. But this is just too weird and not normal anymore!

"Are you sure he didn't put any voodoo on this though?" I asked as I lifted the statue. It's a little heavy.

I turned the statue to look for weird symbols.

"Let me see…" Taiga took it from me, but the statue slipped from my hands before Taiga could even get a hold of it. The statue dropped on the floor and shattered into tiny bits. Oh, boy...

We looked at the falling and dropping part in slow-mo.

"Ah, it broke." Takao-san observed calmly.

And then the realization hit in.

I gasped. Taiga gasped. Kise-kun gasped. Tetsu 'oh'-ed. The senpais gasped. Everyone in the restaurant gasped in horror!

"It broke!" Takao-san screamed with his face like Edvard Munch's The Scream.

"WAHHHHHH!" I panicked.

"Oh my god, it broke!" I yelled. "What should we do?!"

"His lucky item never broke before." Tetsu informed calmly.

"Should you be saying that now?!" I said to Tetsu.

"Ahahha, ooppsss, look at the time! Kasamatsu-sempai, I think we should go!" Kise-san said looking at his missing watch.

"Oh, nice idea, Kise!" Kasamatsu-sempai said.

They were about to go out, but my hands landed on their shoulders just in time.

"Where do you think you are going?" I said ghastly looking like The Grudge.

"We're in this together, hahahahahaha!" I said in a high-pitch, gruesome voice as my head rotated 360 degrees, like in the horror films. Kise-kun and Kasamatsu-sempai screamed.

And then I smelled incense. I looked back and saw Tetsu praying for the statue - Japan funeral-style.

"May you rest in pieces!" He said as he clap his hands.

"Tetsu, what do you think you are doing! Stop that!" I shouted again.

"Maybe we could still fix this!" Taiga said, dropping to the ground to pick the broken parts. His hands are shaking as he holds a glue he got from somewhere.

"Are you crazy?! That's impossible." I said.

And then I turned to the sempais.

"What should I do?!" I called for help.

"Guys, for Maya-san..." Hyuuga-sempai ordered. There was a hope, after all. "Let's join Kuroko-kun and pray!"

"Osu!" Hyuuga-sempai and the others knelt with Tetsu.

"I told you stop that!" I wailed.

"What's with this commotion?" It was Midorima-san. He came back from the wash room. Oh, how I wish he got flushed in the toilet instead. I probably sweated all the sweat I could sweat in my lifetime.

"Shin-chan, please calm down." Takao-san cautioned.

"What are you saying Takao? I am calm."

"Whatever happens, don't panic ok?"

Midorima-san pushed his glasses in place and asked impatiently. "What on earth is going on?"

I couldn't take it anymore so I knelt in front of him and bowed as I said forgiveness.

"Midorima-sama! It was Taiga's fault."

"What?!" Taiga shouted in surprise. "It was not! Stop blaming others!"

And then everyone gave way to let him had a view of the broken statue. Too theatrical to describe.

A minute pass, and then two, Midorima-san stayed expressionless. The water from my body almost dried out. I look up at him. He pushed his sexy glasses again.

"Is that my lucky item?" He said in a murky voice.

Everyone nodded. He cleared his throat by coughing.

"What happened?"

Instead of saying what happened, all of them pointed at me. The basketball bastards!

"I'm sorry, Midorima-sama. It was an accident!" I said with watery-eyes. Midorima-san looked down on me.

"No, it's ok. Since the day is about to end, I probably don't need it anymore. Takao, let's go home! The rain already stopped."

Shit. He is definitely angry. I was trembling from guilt!

The two Shuutoku players are walking toward the exit. I decided to run after them, but suddenly, Midorima-san vanished.

"Eh?" I said.

"Shin-chan!" Takao-san called as he knelt beside Midorima-san who mysteriously dropped on the floor. He slowly stood and continued on his way but he can't open the door – it seems to be stuck. And then he stepped backward causing him to bump into a waiter. The waiter dropped the plates he was holding. All the contents were scattered on the floor and some were thrown all over Midorima-san. Midorima-san bowed to apologize and when he straightened up, his head hit the waiter's chin who was falling backward. Midorima-san tried to catch him, but he tripped on the broken plates. The waiter fell. Midorima-san fell.

"Geh." I said. That's the only thing I could say after witnessing that messed-up scene.

"HE TURNED INTO A COMPLETE KLUTZ!" Taiga yelled the obvious.

Midorima-san who is in complete control because of the lucky items turns the opposite without it.

"It was my fault! I'm sorry! I never meant for this to happen!" I cried.

Midorima-san looked up at us as he knelt and then put a fist over against his lips. "I'm not a klutz, _baka_!"

It thundered repeatedly on the background. Shocking and surprising all of us. We stared upon him. The word 'baka' kept echoing in my head.

"Oh." Tetsu said.

"Tsundere?" Kise-san remarked. Takao-san coughed a laugh.

Midorima-san turned into a tsundere-klutz! Add the eyeglasses and f*ck! It's too much for a mere girl like me to handle! Suddenly, blood started spurting out of my nose.

"Wah!" Aida-sempai screamed. "Maya, you're nose bleeding!"

"Aida-sempai… This is too much." I said anemically.

"You're losing too much blood! Someone get me tissues! No, towel! Get me a towel! And bring me some ice!"

"Aida-sem..."

And that's how I fainted. Its my first day of my being a manager too.

Love Always, Maya

P.S. Takao-san offered to take Midorima-san safely home. He is really a great guy, I'm glad he's there.


	8. The Perks of the Yuuenchi Superheroes

**Because I heard him sing. ****I'm so sorry, I had to write this.** Maya x Kise. Omake-chapter! I think they'd make a cute couple, if ever:)  


* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

_**June 21**_

Dear Friend,

I stalked my brother on his date yesterday. I know I shouldn't have because that's an invasion of his privacy which I really do respect – sometimes. But hell, this is the first time I heard he is going on a date! Last night, I accidentally overheard his conversation on the phone with his girlfriend. I repeat GIRLFRIEND. Robin (yeah, apparently another bird – blame my parents and their naming sense) who is only 14 years old has a girlfriend! While I, for 16 years (basically, my whole life) am stuck with the status of single. Not that I wanted a boyfriend, but seriously?! At 14?! And it's just been barely five months since we came here!

Anyway, I asked Aida-sempai if I could get excused because I have a 'very important matter to attend. Well, I just added the words 'very important' so she could allow me. Unbeknownst to her, very important means stalking. We still have two weeks before the final match anyway, so a manager missing one day isn't that of a big deal compared to the players.

And, so there! Being the spying-nosy sister that I am, I began my mission.

The day started-off with me preparing breakfast. I do this every Saturday morning since Mom and Dad don't have work (and like to wake-up late) and I am the only one who goes out on Saturdays because of club activities. I went out precisely at 8:00, the usual, but instead of heading straight to school, I went to a café in front the train station. At 8:30, Mika came. I called her last night to tell her the situation and asked her to lend me a wig (since she's a _mangaka,_ I figured she has one) and an outfit for spying (like I said, she's a _mangaka_).

"Are you sure about this? Won't your brother get angry?" She asked unsurely as she sat in front of me.

"Yep, I'm 100% sure! He wouldn't get angry if he wouldn't know." I answered her. "So, what do you got for me?"

Mika took out a wig from her bag and showed me. This is the first time I would be wearing one, so I am kind of excited. The one Mika brought doesn't look fake at all (contrary to what I thought), it's very long and brunette-like.

"Ooh, I wonder when and where you wear this." I said as I took it from her and inspect the item.

Mika chuckled naughtily. "It's best if you don't know."

She then took out a cute beige dress and flat shoes. She's prepared, I notice.

"For spying." She said, and gave it to me.

"It's a dress." I implied the obvious.

"Yes, it is."

"It's very cute…"

"I know, right!"

"But, I'm not going for a date! I'll be spying." I said exasperatedly.

"Like I said, for spying." She repeated. "You have to be _au naturel _as to not raise any suspicions."

"But it's a dress!" I cried stupidly.

"Hai, hai! Now let me help you put it on." She said happily. She took my arm and dragged me to the rest room.

Thirty minutes later, I am looking at the mirror, mouth open and completely dumb-founded. It looked like I undergone some kind of magical girl transformation. Like totally, from ugly duckling (not really) to a beautiful swan. I can't believe wearing a dress and having long hair would make me look like the one I'm staring at – me!

"I knew it! I knew this would look good on you! You're very pretty, Maya!" Mika said.

"Uhm, yeah…" I said. Even I thought I look pretty.

"Can your brother recognize you?"

I shook my head. "I doubt it! I can barely recognize myself!" I said.

"Aww! I wish Toru and I could come with you!" She pouted. "But Toru is finishing her report for the newspaper and I am meeting a deadline."

"It must be good to have a part-time job." I said with envy.

"Well, it must be good to be the club manager!" She said.

At 10:10, I saw my brother headed for the train station. He was wearing clothes out of fashion magazine and it looks good on him. He really is going for a date! I started my pursuit, maintaining a considerable spy-like distance.

10:45: Robin dropped-off in _Asakusa_ Station and waited. I also waited.

11:05: She came. His girlfriend. She's very pretty. Blonde hair, porcelain white skin and model-like thin. She was wearing a tight t-shirt and (super short) denim shorts, paired with knee-high socks and high-end snickers. I can't believe that a girl like her would find my brother attractive.

The two greeted each other shyly, even blushing and then, held hands. That was fast! They seem to look happy though.

To be honest, I'm also enjoying this. If I didn't want to be a doctor, I'll probably go with being a CIA agent or something similar.

Five minutes later, we came into an amusement park. My eyes widened with excitement. I like amusement parks. It's been a while since I've been into one. Now, I'm really going to enjoy this. I can't wait to try all their rides. It's quite cheeky for Robin to make this a venue for a date, but not bad.

Coming out from my reverie, I realized that I completely lost Robin and his girlfriend. I immediately bought a ticket and went inside.

11:45: I am so hungry. I've been going in circles but I can't find the lovebirds. I decided to find a restaurant instead, but I finally found myself lost. The amusement park is too big! It's my first time going here, and I don't know which is which. I don't know where on earth I am!

Suddenly, a hand touched me on my shoulders. I turned and saw three Japanese men. I backed away.

"You seem lost, _koneko-chan_?" J-man #1 said.

Uhg, of all times these guys have to hit on me!

"Nope, I am actually waiting for my boyfriend." I lied nicely.

"Eh, really?" J-man #2.

"Yes."

"Then let us wait with you for your boyfriend." J-man #3.

I laughed. "No, you don't need to. I am perfectly fine by myself."

They stepped a little closer. Close enough to invade my personal space. J-man #3 grabbed my arm and I started to panic. I started shaking it away but his grip tightened. It hurts, btw.

"C'mon,_ koneko-chan_! Don't be difficult."

"_Koneko-chan_, your face!" I said angrily and was about to punch him but a hand removed J-man #3's hand from my arm and then an arm went around my shoulders.

"So there you are, Mayacchi!"

Without turning, I know who the man is. Only one person calls me by that name! I was about ready to put my stone-face but when I looked up, Kise-kun is 200x more gorgeous today. He was wearing a cashmere sweater that almost revealed his f*ck*ng nice chest. And he is wearing eyeglasses. Of all accessories he had to wear, it has to be eyeglasses!?

I blushed and instantly covered my nose for the impending massive nosebleed. I started smelling his manly scent. F*ck. Every female instinct on me started to activate!

Kise-kun glared at the three Japanese men who upon seeing him, scuttled away to escape.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking down on me. Oh, god, the glasses. I closed the holes on my nose using my thumb and forefinger while the other three covered my mouth. This is bad! This is so bad! Kise-kun is already good-looking, why does he have to wear that damn glasses!

I nodded.

"Why are you covering your nose? Does my breath smell bad?" He asked me in a jest. And then he exhaled against his hand and started smelling. Even though my hand is covered I could smell him. I really think what he just did was hot! Shit!

I closed my eyes to control whatever was left on me. When I think it's already safe for me, I removed my hand.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Eh?"

"How did you know I'm Maya." I rephrased. "I thought my cover is perfect."

"Cover? Mayacchi is Mayacchi." He said dumbly.

I stared at him like he was some kind of idiot (who is totally hot!).

"You're prettier today, what's up?" He said like it was nothing. To me, that was an effective compliment! I blushed again. My face is starting to burn, literally.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"Why are you here?" I asked back.

"I asked you first!"

"I'm here to…visit this amusement park." I lied.

"But what did you mean by cover?"

I ignored his question. "Why are you here?"

He evaded his eyes and said "I'm here for a day-off."

I knew he was lying. "Oh?"

"We just got to the inter-high finals; I thought I deserve a day-off." Kise-kun explained.

"Ah, yes, I heard from Taiga."

"Are you alone?"

"Yes. Are you alone?"

"Yeah…"

Silence followed and then the sound of my stomach grumbling in hunger. That was extremely awkward.

"I'm really hungry." I stated.

"So, I heard." He chuckled. It suddenly became a melody in my ear. "Let's have lunch, my treat."

I smiled at him. "You're better than I thought!"

I followed him to a restaurant which was only just a few minutes away. I wondered why I missed the damn building. As we enter, I immediately saw Robin and his girlfriend. I was about to hide using Kise-kun's broad and lovely back but he walked briskly to a table far away from the lovebirds. I followed him.

We ordered our food. One hour later. Robin and his girlfriend stood up to leave. I immediately cleaned my plates intending to continue my mission. I don't plan to lose my sight on them again.

"I'm sorry Kise-kun, I need to go now. Thank you for the meal."

"Oopps, look at the time. I need to go Mayacchi. I'll pay at the counter, so don't worry."

We said it at the same time. We stared at each other in confusion. Kise-kun called the waiter and paid our bills. Then we walked out. My eyes easily saw the lovebirds, already a few yards away. I started to follow, walking in big hurried steps. I saw Kise-kun walking in the same pace beside me.

And then the girlfriend pointed at some booth and the lovebirds stopped. I stopped and Kise-kun stopped. And then the lovebirds walked back. I immediately went to the side to avoid them. Kise-kun did the same. Both of us are in some nearby booth.

"Stop imitating what I do!" I told him, a little irritated.

"I'm the one who should tell you that."

"This is cute!" Said the girl beside me, I looked and it was the girlfriend. My eyeballs retracted. I suddenly looked back to Kise-kun but his back is already on me, He started walking forward, and I followed him. Again.

"Let's try to get it." I heard Robin said. I grinned, that little show-off!

Kise-kun went to another booth and pretended to be interested in the goods being sold. I stood beside him.

"Why are you really here?" I said looking at the stuff toys displayed.

"I should ask you the same question." He said, also looking at the stuff toys.

I decided to tell him the truth. "I'm following my brother who is in a date with his girlfriend."

Kise-kun snickered. "That's funny; I'm also following my sister who is in a date with her boyfriend."

We looked at each other wide-eyed and then looked back at Robin and his girlfriend. We both pointed at their direction.

"That's my brother."

"That's my sister."

A pause ensued and then we started to laugh.

"I never imagined you stalking your sister!" I said. "So what's the name of your sister? That brother of mine is Robin."

"Her name is Airi. She's actually my cousin, but Airicchi is already like a sister to me."

"Eh, next time, tell her to wear something longer. Look at her clothes; it's too skimpy for her age." I scolded Kise-kun in place of Airi.

"But, I'm the one who chose that for her!"

"Then the more I should scold you!"

He grinned proudly.

"Uhg, Kise-kun…" I shook my head in disapproval.

Just then, a man tapped Kise-kun's shoulder. He has a DSLR camera with him.

"Hey, Ryota!" He greeted.

Kise-kun turned and greeted his friend. "Hana-san!"

"I never thought I would see you here!" The man named Hana-san said.

"Yeah, just having fun. By the way, Hana-san, this is Mayacchi, Mayacchi, this is Hana-san, a photographer from a teen magazine."

"Hello, nice to meet you Hana-san." I said.

"Ehehe! Hello, Maya. Would you and Ryota pose for me?"

"Hm?"

"The magazine I'm working for is having a contest on who is the cutest couple. I'm scouting, that's why I'm here! I think you two could really win. I'm sorry to impose this on your date, though." Hana-san winked.

"Couple? Date? Ahaha, no you're…" Before I could finish, Kise-kun hugged me from behind, his hands resting on my stomach. It literally knocked any sense away from me. My brain went out of my body. My heart started to beat wildly.

"Go ahead, Hana-san." Kise-kun said and then he rested his chin at the top of my head and grinned widely.

I am totally flushed and blushing and hyperventilating, speechless and hormonally overdosed.

"Oho, nice one Ryota! Show me some love!" Hana-san said and pressed the shutter button of his camera a couple of times. When he was finished, I am still flushed and blushing and hyperventilating, speechless, hormonally overdosed and completely paralyzed.

"Thanks, I'll call you when you win. Enjoy the rest of the day!" Hana-san said. "Spread the love!"

"Sorry about that. I know Hana-san, and even if we tell him we aren't really dating, he will still insist on taking a picture of us." Kise-kun explained. I couldn't look at him, so I look at the ground instead.

"No, it's ok." It's the eyeglasses' fault, I told myself.

"Maya, they're moving!" Kise-kun said, pertaining to Robin and Airi. He took my hand and we walked behind them closely. My heart is still beating erratically. It's the eyeglasses' fault, I repeated.

As they tried the rides, so did Kise-kun and I. Yes, I did enjoy all of them. The rollercoaster (it's not very fast but I enjoyed it anyway), horror house, frog jump, terror ride, live stage, arcades and others.

3:15: The lovebirds finally rested at a café. Kise-kun and I are hiding in an overgrown bush a few feet away from them.

Kise-kun knelt on the ground exhaustedly. "Ah, I'm so tired!"

"Shh! Lower your voice, they might hear us!" I said in harsh whisper.

"You're totally enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Just a little." I said grinning.

"Ah, if it's your brother, I wouldn't mind giving Airicchi to him." Kise-kun said casually.

"They're just 14! You talk like they are going to marry!" I said appalled.

"Haha, I started going on dates when I was 13!"

"You playboy!" I accused.

"I think we should stop following them, now." Kise-kun suggested. "I'm so tired, already."

"Hm. So we should go home?" I looked at the two lovebirds. 'But I haven't tried all the rides yet'. I want to say.

He chuckled. "What I wanted to say is let's have fun here without thinking about those two!"

"Us?"

Kise-kun flashed me his gorgeous smile.

"Kise-kun, you're not trying to say we make this our date, are you?"

Before he could answer, a group of yakuza went near to Robin and Airi and start ganging up on them. Such an unexpected event!

"Whoa! Kise-kun! Look! They are in danger!" I said.

"Then why are your eyes twinkling?" He asked me.

"Aren't you excited? This date looks like it came out from an anime!"

"I think we should be concerned about them, not excited." Kise-kun said.

Robin put Airi behind him for protection. "Oh! Nice one, Robin!" Kise-kun cheered.

Both of us are crouching and peeking at the undergoing scene.

The head of the group took out a bat from his back.

"Oi, that looks dangerous." Kise-kun warned.

"I think this is the cue where we will appear." I suggested and began standing up. Kise-kun stopped me.

"What are you doing?! If those two find out we are stalking them, they'll kill us. Airicchi will never talk to me again!" Kise-said in puppy face.

"Then what should we do! We ought to save them or they gonna get killed!" I said to them.

"Mayacchi, you're eyes are twinkling again. Please, be serious." Kise-kun put his fingers at his temples to think and then started to look around.

"Ah!" He said pointing at the two bunny mascots selling balloons at a distance.

"Why do I get the feeling I know what you're thinking." I said.

A few minutes later we are dressed in bunny mascots. The idiot blue bunny named Kise started posing like Kamen Rider as he says:

"We are the allies of justice-pyon!"

I, the red bunny, looked at him frustrated-ly.

"C'mon Mayacchi! Do that!" Kise-kun said cheerfully, and he posed like Kamen Rider again.

"Look who's enjoying now! Just so you know, every second you're talking, Robin is probably getting beaten up to his death by the yakuzas and Airi is crying while saying 'Stop! Please stop!'" I said, re-enacting the whole scene.

"You've got one-heck-of-imagination." Kise-kun remarked.

"Thank you."

We ran to where the lovebirds are. Robin and Airi were on the ground while the yakuzas are scaring them like hell.

The Red Rabbit, upon seeing the situation, gave the boss a flying-bunny-kick! Blue Bunny was saying his line so energetically about being the 'ally of justice that will protect the world from evil'. Red Rabbit kicked the one who ran after her. Blue Bunny finished his pose and then attacked the remaining yakuzas by giving them the bunny-punch. The yakuzas started running away!

People who were watching cheered for the two rabbits. Blue Bunny bowed. Red Rabbit helped the boy up. The girl said her thank you. Red and Blue Bunny smiled at them and ran off.

Away from the crowd, Kise-kun and I sat at a bench. We took-off the head of the mascots and fanned ourselves with our hands.

"Mayachhi, I didn't know you could kick some ass!"

"I guess the self-defense tutorial that my Mom enrolled me in was helpful after all!"

"Hehe, we could be the amusement park superheroes!" Kise-kun said.

The idea was too ridiculous that we laughed.

"So there you are, you bunny bastards! Thank you for embarrassing us!"

We turned.

TADUM! It's the yakuza boss and his minions! And they are very angry. Crap, we're going to die.

"I think you're mistaken!" I lied.

"DON'T JOKE WITH ME BITCH! THE KICK YOU GAVE ME HURTS A LOT!" The boss screamed angrily.

Out of the insults a person can give to me, bitch, whore, slut and cunt are the words I hated the most.

"Oho! If it hurts then that's good!" I shouted back at him.

"Don't add oil to the fire, Mayacchi." Kise-kun warned.

"But he just called me a bitch!" I cried at Kise-kun.

The boss suddenly pushed me on the ground. I landed on my butt. He was about to punch me but Kise-kun intervened.

"Oi, hitting a girl is a disgrace to mankind!" Kise-kun said. And then he punched the boss so strongly, the boss dropped to the ground. The members attacked Kise-kun, a punch dropped on his beautiful face. The eyeglasses he was wearing fell from his face. And then a yakuza stepped on it, destroying the eyeglasses. A vein snapped inside of me.

"WAAAHHH!" I jumped at the back of the yakuza who stepped on the eyeglasses (the bastard!), stopping him from attacking Kise-kun.

"HELP! PLEASE HELP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Seconds later, guards started appearing blowing their whistles. The yakuza started running again. The guards ran after them.

"You bunch of cowards!" I shouted at them. And then I went beside Kise-kun to look at the damage those yakuzas inflicted on his face. Although it did not give any bruises, his cheek is still inflamed.

"Does it hurt?" I asked him.

"Yeah, but don't worry. I'm ok. How about you?"

"Perfectly fine." And then just for the sake of thanking him, I know he did protect me, I smiled at him. "You're very cool just now, by the way."

As he stared at me, his face suddenly turned red and then he averted his eyes away from me. He covered his face with his hand.

Oh, crap!

"Wah! Don't blush all of a sudden!" I shouted at him, also turning red.

"I'm sorry! I can't help it!"

The day ended at the amusement park with the birth of a legend about Superhero Bunnies who saved the day.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. Kise-kun asked me to call him Ryota and I agreed and told him I'll call him Ryo (because its much shorter). He asked me to ride the ferries-wheel but I refused. I told him I'm afraid of heights. I suggested the haunted house again though, since I like blood and gore and stuff. He refused, but I dragged him anyway.

I was very tired when I went home and my exhaustion was made worse when Robin started posting the running images of the Red and Blue Bunny on his door. He took the pictures through his cellphone.

"They are one of Japan's greatest people." He said when I asked him what the hell is he doing.

00:30: I was in my REM sleep when the vibrating of my phone waked me up. That was one of the worst thing someone could do to me. Wake me in my sleep! The bastard who dare to call at this hour!

"Mayacchi! I called to say good-night!" It was Ryo, and he was saying this so loudly at 12:30 in the morning and it pisses me off.

"TRY CALLING ME AGAIN AT THIS TIME, AND I'LL KILL YOU!" I said growling like I'm demon-possessed and ended the call.

Ryo never called me again. I continued my sleep.


	9. The Perks of Momoi Satsuki

**I'm actually shipping Sastsuki and Daiki so I don't like her for Kuroko. I apologize ****(シ_ _)シ ** for the Black x Pink fans!

**_HONTO NI ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU_ ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ for all the reviews so far. Keep reviewing!:) I am happy you are enjoying!  
**

**For the scenes: I know, I know, this is too cliche! But well, its a pool! And it works every time.  
**

***Full Metal Panic: Fumuffu  
**

****Flame of Recca  
**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

**_June 26_  
**

Dear Friend,

I just wanted to tell you that I aced my mid-terms exams. I placed 78th / 308 (yay!) in the overall rankings among the freshmen. In case you thought I'm neglecting my studies for club activities, then I have to say you are wrong. I was so glad I did though, I really studied hard! Damn that Language test! My mom would eat me alive if I get grades lower than 80% - on any subjects! On the other hand, Taiga and Tetsu did average which is good. Seirin Basketball Club resumes with their practice again. Aida-sempai is really focusing on the basics and she's training them like there's no tomorrow. It looked like hell! Aida-sempai is really a strict coach. Believe me. She's taking 'strict' to a whole new level.

She ordered Taiga to rest though, because apparently he suffered from a leg injury. Hell, of course he did! His jump is too powerful; it could create a crater on the floor when he lands. I'm not kidding!

So anyway, Aida-sempai subjected them to the Club's famous 'drill pool training'. 'Famous' because three times a week, the boys do footwork and muscle training in the water very early in the morning. That's very hard. We do the training in Aida-sempai's family sports gym which is ten minutes away from school.

While Aida-sempai wore the sports-type swimsuit, today I chose to wear the school-girl swimsuit. I just purchased the stuff online, it's the same swimsuit *Tessa wore.

"Maya, I think you are taking whatever you watch a bit too far." Aida-sempai said unsurely while looking at me.

"Huh? But boys like this stuff, right?! I figured it could boost some confidence in the team. Teehee !" I posed as I said this. Aida-sempai looked at me the same way she looked at Taiga, the idiot.

"No, you're pertaining to the different kind of boys. I think you see Japan for what it isn't." She said.

When we came to the pool area and the guys saw us they all cried in joy.

"Whoa! Maya! Good choice!" Izuki-sempai, the one with the eagle's eyes, gave me a thumbs-up!

I grinned at him as I returned the thumb. Aida-sempai hit Izuki-sempai with the harisen.

"Don't encourage her!"

Aida-sempai looked at the boys and shouted. "Double the sit-ups!"

"EH!" The boys complained.

They finished another 50. And then she came.

Tetsu's self-proclaimed girlfriend! She has long pink hair, and as tall as Tetsu. Her face is freckled, her nose is pointy and she is cross-eyed! Her teeth are in gaps and she is fat! And most of all, her chest is too flat, there are no bumps whatsoever.

Yes, I'm sorry I'm lying! I do not intend to bash her or anything like that. Really! Ok, yes I do, but that was because she claimed to be someone she isn't! Except for her hair and height, everything I said about her is a complete lie! She is really pretty and very much blessed in the chest area! And she is wearing a bikini which has a more potent effect to the boys! Damn it! I should have worn the same! I feel, ok, how should I say this, defeated?! I mean just look at her! Her boobs are big! Why is life so unfair!

"I'm Tetsu-kun's girlfriend!" She introduced herself and winked.

"Tetsu-kun?" All of us asked, just for confirmation.

"Kuroko Tetsuya-kun!" She clarified.

Silence. And then the boys cried in shock!

"Kuroko! You have a girlfriend?!" They asked simultaneously.

I glared at Tetsu. For some reason, I am annoyed.

"It's not true! She was the manager of our middle school team." Tetsu explained.

He got out from the pool and then the girl immediately hugged him. His head rested in her chest. That guy!

"Momoi-san, you're suffocating me!" Tetsu said in his deadpan expression. But I couldn't care less, I am really annoyed.

"Tetsu, you liar! I knew it! Boys will always be pigs! You always chose the blessed! You damn piece of creatures!" I cried in despair.

"I know you are telling that to Kuroko, but why do I feel insulted too." Hyuuga-sempai remarked.

"Why Kuroko?!" The boys asked.

"He gave me an ice cream!" Was her simple explanation. To this I snickered.

"Pshaw! He gave you an ice cream?! Tetsu already said you're not his girlfriend so stop with all your delusions!" I said mightily.

"Eh, so it's true that Maya-san is a bit rude." She said coolly.

"How do you know my name?!"

She giggled. "I knew all of you. Hyuuga-san, Izuki-san, Mitobe-san, Koganei-san, Tsuchida-san and the B-cup coach, Riko-san."

"That's not funny!" Aida-sempai said.

"So you're a B-cup Aida-sempai, I'm much bigger!" I laughed victoriously as I stick out my chest for further emphasis.

Aida-sempai grabbed my neck and choked me. "What did you say, Maya?" She looked at me with her demon-eyes.

"I'm sorry Aida-sempai!" I apologized.

"Momoi-san, you're at Aomine's school, aren't you?" Tetsu asked her.

"Yes, I really wanted to be in the same school as you, but I don't know whatever troubles he'll get into, so I can't leave him alone." She said wistfully. But because I'm annoyed, I butted in.

"Eh, if you can't leave this Aomine guy alone, then you better leave Tetsu. You can't look out for two people, right!"

"Maya-san…" Tetsu said.

"Eh, who is Tetsu-kun to you anyway?" She asked me, her eyes squinted into battle.

The question got me.

"Who is Tetsu? He is…" I can't say friend, because that would be my (further) defeat! Damn, I can't say boyfriend either because he is not! What on earth is he to me!

"He is…" I started.

A few seconds passed. Who is Tetsu to me?

"HE IS MY PERSONAL NINJA!" I declared loudly, my fist upper-cutting the air.

"Eh?" Everyone said.

"That's right! He is my personal ninja! Like **Recca!" I repeated with much confidence.

"What?!" Momoi-san asked me in confusion. "I don't get what you are saying, but it seems you're hogging Tetsu-kun by yourself."

I took Tetsu by his arm, and chained my arms on his possessively. "Kukuku! Because Tetsu is mine!" I said like a witch.

"Maya-san, what are you saying?" Tetsu asked me.

I glared at him.

"Say something inappropriate and you're dead, Tetsu." I whispered so he is the only one who could hear.

He started perspiring.

"Whatever you say…" He said and then gulped.

I smirked at Momoi-san who is shaking in anger and probably defeat. (Hehe!) And then she pointed at me.

"I challenge you on who takes Tetsu-kun!" She cried.

"Momoi-san…"

"Kuroko, you lucky bastard! Die!" The other boys said to him.

"Guys..." Tetsu said.

"Bring it on!" I said.

"Maya-san, please think this through." Tetsu pleaded.

"Oho! Go, Maya!" Aida-sempai cheered.

"Aida-sempai, I thought you said not to encourage her." Tetsu reasoned.

"Kuroko, that doesn't apply to this situation." Aida-sempai said.

Momoi-san took away Tetsu from me.

"Let's decide on swimming!"

Shit, I don't swim well. She probably knows this already. This spy-woman!

"Ha! Don't go crying when I win." I bragged. My nose started to get longer.

Momoi-san smiled knowingly. "I'm the one who's going to win, because my love for Tetsu-kun is greater than yours!"

I didn't exactly say I love Tetsu, but Momoi-san is so fired up, even I had the heart not to correct her. We prepared for the contest.

"Maya, are you sure about this? I thought you couldn't swim?" Aida-sempai, my ally (because the boys are staying neutral for their own survival), whispered to me. We are crouching over the far side of the pool.

"I don't swim well." I corrected Aida-sempai. "But don't worry, I got this!"

Hyuuga-sempai is the referee. After he pressed the starting pistol, Momoi-san immediately dived and swam to the other end of the pool. I can't do that of course. I'll get myself killed by drowning before I could even cover a few meters. I carefully descended into the pool and instead of swimming, I walked. After I reached the point past my maximum height (tiptoed and all), I made sure Momoi-san is already near the end. When she surfaced I started my act.

I started flailing my arms, dip my head a couple of times and shouted for help. Yes, I'm pretending to drown.

"Wahgrbilsh! Help!" Dip my head.

"Hel…" Dip my head again. I waved both my arms for effect.

"MAYA!" The sempais shouted at me worriedly! And then from my peripheral vision I saw Koganei-sempai jumped and swam toward me. Ugh, it wasn't what I wanted! I completely submerge myself into the pool and waited for him. When I saw his face, I said "I'm so sorry, Koganei-sempai!" in the water (which I hope he heard or read), and put all my strength to punch him. With the water it was really hard, but my hand hit the face, and Koganei-sempai (water slow) lost his senses and floated.

"Wahh! Koganei, what happened?!" The boys said when they saw his floating body.

"Now you know not to involve yourself in girls' stuff!" Hyuuga-sempai called to the fainted Koganei-sempai.

I took out my head and this time made sure the scene that I wanted happen.

"TETSU! HELP ME!" I shouted! Aida-sempai, my ally, ran toward Tetsu with amazing speed and then pushed him at the pool. Tetsu has no choice but to swim after me.

When we resurfaced, I pretended to be unconscious. I could win an Oscar for this!

"Kuroko, give Maya CPR!" I heard Aida-sempai said. That was too much! But nice one, Aida-sempai!

"What!?" I heard Momoi-san protest.

"Eh, but Aida-sempai…" Tetsu said.

I peeked at the situation. They are all crowding on me.

"She's clearly faking it!" Momoi-san said defensively.

Aida-sempai took Tetsu's head and pushed it closed to me, our lips just inches away. I don't really mind giving my first kiss to Tetsu. Let me rephrase. I wouldn't mind if my first kiss is Tetsu. I mean, he is giving me a CPR, ignoring the fact that I am pretending to need one. But because I'm not ready for it, I flinched. Momoi-san took Tetsu's head and stopped whatever was supposed to happen. Waha! That was close! I closed my eyes completely again.

"What do you think you are doing, Riko-san?" Momoi-san asked grimly.

Aida-sempai: "Ohoho, I'm just giving Maya first aid."

Momoi-san: "Why does it have to be Tetsu-kun."

Tetsu: "Excuse me, but you're strangling me."

Aida-sempai: "Why wouldn't it be Kuroko?"

Momoi-san: "Other guys can do it."

Tetsu: "I can't breathe, Sempai, Momoi-san."

And then the boys pitched in. So much noise was happening that when I peeked, Tsuchida-sempai's face welcomed me. Momoi-san is pushing his face to me! Shocked, I instinctively punched Tsuchida-sempai. I got up and realized what I did.

"Why the hell it's me!" Tsuchida-sempai cried as he falls.

"Wah! I'm sorry Tsuchida-sempai!"

I stood to face Momoi-san. She and I had another face-off. There's too much dark aura in the background, plus the thunder and lightning. She's the dragon, I am the tiger.

"That was very dirty, Maya!" She said smiling. I can see a vein popping on her head.

"Ohoho, how dare you choose something you know I'm not good at?!" My vein is larger.

Hyuuga-sempai blew a whistle and then raised his arms in surrender. "I think this is getting out of hand. Let's give Momoi-san and Kuroko some time to talk since it seems that she traveled all the way here to see him, ok Maya?"

Since Hyuuga-sempai had the eyeglasses. I conceded.

"Tch! Ok, then." I said delinquently. I gave Momoi-san the "I'm-watching-you-with-both-my-eyes" hand sign. Momoi-san stuck her tongue out to me.

So, Tetsu and Momoi-san, talked. I swear Tetsu's eyes were zeroing in her chest like what the sempais are doing! And when their conversation is over, and Momoi-san stood up, Tetsu's eyes zeroed on her butt! That idiot! Although Tetsu is a little creepy with his special skill, I realized that he's also a normal high school boy!

We changed into our school uniform already and Momoi-san said her goodbye.

I was smiling radiantly at her as if nothing happened. "Bye Momoi-san, its nice meeting you!"

She laughed. She smiled prettily at me. "Nice to meet you too, Maya-san. Now that I talked with Tetsu-kun, I'll take my leave."

"Be careful, then!" I said, smiling.

"Yes, I will!" She said, smiling and started walking,

"Momoi-san!" Tetsu called. "I promise I'll win against Aomine."

It's easy to deduce that what Tetsu and Momoi-san's conversation is about the Generation of Miracles again. Everyone seems to be obsessed about them; it's a little annoying already!

Momoi-san smiled back. "Hai!"

When all else are clear, I elbowed Tetsu in his side.

"What did I do this time?" He asked me while falling.

"Hmp!" I just said and followed the other guys back to school.

I guess I get really work up when it comes to Tetsu. Well, anyway, I met another strange person in Tetsu's life. This time, it's their ex-manager. Momoi Satsuki is really pretty, I give you that.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. On the other side of the world, Taiga met Aomine – played with him, to be exact. He told us when he came for the afternoon meeting session. The moment he entered the gym though, he got busted by Aida-sempai. For once in my life, I was happy that someone could grab Taiga's head like how he grabbed mine. God, I love Aida-sempai! She scolded Taiga without mercy.

"NOW I'M SENDING YOU TO THE INFIRMARY!" Aida-sempai growled. "MAYA, MAKE SURE HE WALKS IN HIS TWO HANDS!"

"Eh!" Taiga complained.

"Why do I have to come with him?" I asked, but Aida-sempai glared at me.

And so I supervised. I'm really amaze that Taiga can carry himself with his hands. And then there was Tetsu. I'm getting used to his disappear-appear act already.

"What happened?" Tetsu asked. "You may be an idiot, but you're not the type of person to injure yourself without a reason!"

"Whoa, this is the first time I heard you called him that!" I remarked amazingly.

"You two are really getting on my nerves." Taiga said as he stood up properly.

"I met Aomine." Taiga said.

"Eh! The Aomine-Aomine Momoi-san and you are talking about?" I said.

"Who's Momoi-san?"

"She's Tetsu's ex-girlfriend." I stated with irritation. "We also just met her this morning!"

"Eh, so you have a girlfriend." Taiga said to Tetsu.

"Tetsu liked big boobs." I stated.

"Maya-san…" Tetsu reproved.

"Is that so…" Taiga said nonchalantly.

"Why aren't you surprised?" I asked Taiga.

"Why would I be surprised?" Taiga asked back.

"Somehow, you are also irritating me." I said to him. "Ah! You're not walking with your hands!"

"Pretend you didn't see!" Taiga ordered me, about to grab my head again! I forgot my damn paper fan.

"STOP! You're hands are dirty!" I said to him. Taiga stopped.

"Like I said. She's not my girlfriend." Tetsu reiterated.

"Whatever." I said indifferently.

"Anyway, Aomine…" Taiga continued with his story. "That guy said, he was the light in your past. What happened between the two of you?"

Tetsu told his and Aomine's story. All I can say is he is another weirdo from Tetsu's middle school. I am so fed up with weirdos! Ryo and Midorima-san are enough of a pain in Tetsu and Taiga's butts (and mine) already and now him. Taiga, the usual, got worked up again. He and Tetsu fist-bumped like cool guys in the block. It was so cheesy!

"We will win this! And make him come back to his senses." Taiga said.

"Tell that when your injury is healed, stupid." I said to him.

"I agree with Maya-san." Tetsu seconded.

"YOU TWO!"

"Now walk using your hands!" I ordered.

"Walk with your two hands or face Aida-sempai." Tetsu said.

"I'll remember this!" Taiga said as he scowled at us with his two eyebrows. And then he walked using his hands.


	10. The Perks of Kiyoshi Teppei

**I think Kiyoshi Teppei is really cute! Yay, this is my tenth chapter!〜(￣▽￣〜) Keep reviewing and commenting. And its their summer camp next week. Hopefully. If I can update that fast.  
**

**(*ΦωΦ*)**

***Kung Fu Panda  
**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

_**July 23**_

Dear Friend,

"A man can be destroyed but not defeated."  
― Ernest Hemingway, _The Old Man and the Sea_

I am quoting that because as you probably already guessed, Seirin's match against Touou is a loss with a score of 112-55. Such a great point difference, I know, but this time I wouldn't complain (even though I really want to). We lost against a strong team – against the first five individuals of Touou High to be exact. Aida-sempai said they played the game individually, so I can't really call them a team.

Naturally, I am really sad. Of course, this was our first defeat in the Preliminaries and it was such a major blow because they literally owned us. Especially Aomine Daiki, the big-headed cock block (I don't know how to describe him anymore, I'm sorry, no offense meant. Think of the basketball as the 'object') friend of Tetsu from middle school. He was the only one who scored in the second half. Aside from owning the team, he owned Taiga and Tetsu. The dubbed strongest player in the Generation of Miracles, Aomine, is inhumanly strong. He's totally out of the norms when playing basketball. Totally a cock block! What's worse is he is TAN! Like, WTF!

Quoting him: "The only person who can beat me is me." I won't hate him because he has all the right in the world to brag. He really is exceptional. But I don't like him either.

This is also the first time I totally felt useless. Everyone has special skills! Even Momoi-san! I mean, can you believe she's totally expert in data analysis (basketball stuff)? Aida-sempai can see stats with her naked eye! Taiga is super strong! Tetsu can vanish!

I know they are the one who are abnormal but why do I, the normal human, feel like I am the only one who is different?! What's wrong with this set-up!

Going back, I wished I cried when our match with Touou High ended because this lost totally crippled Seirin in the remaining matches, and we are ruled out in the final league. Talk about major defeat! No more Inter-high Tournament! We were just like Shohoku defeated by Kainan!

Like what Mika and Toru said, it was like rejection, except its worse! It's very hard to recover and move on.

We are having the usual practice but the boys don't have the heart to do so, so Aida-sempai tripled their drills. Taiga is not there because he has to rest his legs for two weeks. A muscle was torn.

"ASSEMBLE!" Aida-sempai called. "Remember what you did when you joined?"

The boys paled. Aida-sempai continued.

"Don't lose next time! Winter is cold."

"Winter?" The boys asked.

"Yep, Inter-high in summer, Nationals in falls and the Tournament in winter! This December, the Winter Cup will be held in Tokyo. Everything will be decided there!"

I didn't react, but I swear, I don't know anything about the Winter Cup! Just how incompetent am I as a manager! I wanted to cry!

The boys' spirits were suddenly lifted up.

"Oh, and he's coming back soon." Aida-sempai said.

"Who is?" Hyuuga-sempai asked.

"Teppei."

"… For real?!" Hyuuga-sempai reacted.

"Well, that might be reassuring, but you know, there might be some problems." Izuki-sempai said.

"Eh, who is Teppei?" I asked.

"Kiyoshi Teppei is the ace of our team who wears the number seven jersey." Hyuuga-sempai explained.

"Like Sendoh?!" I was kind of excited to meet him.

"Maya, who is Sendoh?" Hyuuga-sempai asked. I didn't bother answering Hyuuga-sempai. Aida-sempai called us to go home and end the day anyway.

A week has passed and everything is going smoothly except that Tetsu and Taiga doesn't talk with each other. Like never! It's been a week! Jeez! They're acting like women who were scorned. Being a good friend, I tried to create an opportunity.

It was during lunch break. Before Taiga and Tetsu could get their lunch separately (yep, not together), I (with the help of Toru and Mika) blocked them on their way out. The three of us are in akimbo and our foreheads are shining with the level over 9000. I grinned at them.

"Yo, my two idiot friends, Taiga and Tetsu!" I said like an Emperor.

"What the hell are you doing?" Taiga raised his twin eyebrows at me.

"I have come to the attention that you two haven't been talking with each other lately, so…, Toru! Mika!" I said.

Toru and Mika, who were supposed to move in ninja speed, moved like*Master Oogway as they fixed tables and put them together. It was really slow. I told them to move faster because Taiga and Tetsu were looking at us like we are dumb. Toru brought out the lunch boxes I brought with me (I bought it in the 24/7 convenience store near the school) and put in on the top of the tables.

"TARAN! The five of us are going to eat together!" I happily said. I was so optimistic and positive that the two boys would say yes because it's not every day that boys are invited by girls to eat together. But Tetsu disappeared and Taiga was already walking past me. I mean the nerve! I put an effort into buying these _bentos_ and they are just going to ignore and disappear in front of me!?

I released my super saiyan aura, my hair stood up (no color-change though) and my muscles bulged.

"FIND TETSU!" I growled in a very low voice to Toru and Mika. Seconds later, they have him in their arms.

I took the tall Taiga in the neck and dumped him in the seat beside the already perspiring Tetsu. Taiga started shivering.

"I don't f*ck*ng care if you ignore each other, but to ignore me?!" I growled.

"No! No! I am not ignoring you!" Taiga denied.

"I do not mean to disappear, Maya-san! I'm so sorry." Tetsu apologized.

Still angry, I flipped the table in front of me. Mika had the sense to save the lunch boxes.

"WAHHH! DON'T!" The two boys cried as they covered themselves using their arms for protection.

"Tetsu, Taiga! You both are idiots!" I said, back to normal, and then ran out the room, crying for the sake of drama. (Please refer to the -dere types of shoujo.)

"Ah ah… she really put an effort to this." I heard Toru said

That afternoon, after practice, we finally felt Taiga's absence. I'm still pissed about what happened earlier and ignored Tetsu (very easy to do) the whole time.

"I'm interested with Kiyoshi Teppei, but is Kagami alright?" Fukuda-san said.

"He is supposed to rest for two weeks, though we told him to come and watch." Koganei-sempai said.

"Do you know anything, Kuroko? You're classmates aren't you?" Furihata-san asked.

"No, we don't talk." Tetsu said.

"Not once?" Hyuuga-sempai asked in surprise.

Tetsu nodded. "Well, lately it's been hard to talk to him."

"Maya! Is this true?!" Hyuuga-sempai turned to me.

"HA?! The*toot* I care! Those two *TOOOOOT* should both just die *toooot*!" I said.

"Wah! Scary!" Tsuchida-sempai shuddered.

"Amazing, she's even scarier than Aida-san." Izuki-sempai remarked.

"What on earth happened to the three of you?" Hyuuga-sempai asked confused.

"Because Tetsu and Taiga are idiots!" I yelled.

"EH!? Eh?! What did you do Kuroko?!" The boys asked.

"Ah! Its love!" Izuki-sempai romantically said.

I ran before I heard the Idiot Tetsu's answer.

I headed to the convenience store to buy some ice-cream and cool my head off. Ok, to put it simply, I was really hurt that they ignored my efforts, and I need to eat some comfort food. When I was picking at the freezer, a guy talked to me. He is brown-haired and very tall. He was wearing Seirin's uniform so I wasn't that alarmed.

"_Ah-re_, are you Maya-san?" He asked, surprised.

I angled my head to the side in the hopes of remembering where I met this person, but no recollection came. I'm not even sure if I already met him. His face isn't familiar.

"Uhm, who might you be?!"

"Ahahaha, right, right! You don't know me yet. I'm Kiyoshi Teppei. I am a member of the Basketball Club!"

"Eh? The Founder?" I just recently asked Aida-sempai about him, and she said he was the one who started basketball in Seirin.

"That's me."

I bowed in front of him as greetings. "Hello, sempai! I'm sorry I don't know you!"

Kiyoshi-sempai chuckled. "Haha, you don't need to be formal. And you can just call me _onii-chan_!"

"Eh?" I asked.

"_Onii-chan_." He repeated.

I left my ice-cream and walk out from the convenience store.

I can't believe it! I can't believe it!

Yes, I really can't believe it!

THERE'S A WEIRDO IN SEIRIN!

"Maya-chan!" Kiyoshi Teppei called.

I started to run.

"Maya-chan, why are you running!" He started to run after me.

"WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME!?" I shouted back.

"Stop running, I am not yet completely healed from … GASHDDRILOYACK!"

I didn't get his last words so I look back, but Kiyoshi-sempai tripped and was ran-over by a speeding bicycle.

"GYAAAAAAA!" I ran back to Kiyoshi-sempai.

"Kiyoshi-sempai! Are you alright!?" I asked, but he did not budge. And then I saw his hands moved and wrote in blood:

_Call me onii-chan._

I wanted to cry! Why does he want me to do that?! He's such a freaking weirdo! Seirin's founder is a weirdo!

"Onii-chan, are you alright?!" I said. Ah, I wanted to disappear. This is shameful!

Kiyoshi-sempai suddenly stood up. He is perfectly fine – no bruised whatsoever. And then he grinned at me. The blood earlier is ketchup. I started wondering if he staged everything.

"Yep, I'm fine. But you made me run, so buy me a pack of candies." He ordered.

"Why would I do that?!" Yeah, why the hell would I do that?!

"Because I'm your _onii-chan_." Kiyoshi-sempai explained.

"No, you're not!"

"But you just called me _onii-chan_."

"But you made me do it!"

"I didn't."

"This is clearly harassment and extortion!" I yelled.

"Maya-chan, why are you so worked up?" He asked.

"I'm not worked up!" I said, looking at him exasperatedly.

"But why are you yelling?"

I don't get him! I don't get him at all!

In the end, I bought him a pack of candies. (I also bought my ice cream.) It's useless getting annoyed at the founder.

"So, anyway tell me about Kagami and Kuroko." He asked.

He is going to school for a short visit and our subdivision is on the way so I have no choice but to walk with him.

"Those two *TOOOOOT* morons should both just *toooot* and *toot* *toot*!" I said expressionless.

Kiyoshi-sempai laughed. "That was too much!"

"What do you want to hear about them anyway?"

"I don't know?"

"Then why are you asking?"

"Anger is a brilliant nonsense."

"What are you talking about senpai?"

"Onii-chan." He corrected.

"Onii-chan." I said grimly.

"How's their basketball?"

"I don't know. I'm not an expert in basketball."

"But?" He pressed.

"Well, Taiga is in need of inner peace because he is stupid and Tetsu needs to take the spot light once in a while because he is also stupid." I honestly said.

"Wow! I don't know what that means, but that was enlightening." Kiyoshi-sempai said. He said this so calmly, I don't know if he was mocking me.

"Uhg! Anyway, this is where we depart. It's nice meeting you." I said at the intersection, purposely leaving out his name.

"I'll be released from the hospital next week!" He said to me happily.

I wasn't really interested when he will be released so I don't know why he said that to me. There was a blank response in my brain. And when I finally got aware of the awkward silence between us:

"Ah, ok." was the only thing I could say.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. I'm sorry for writing just now. Yeah I know, took me almost a month!

But anyway, one week after that meeting, Kiyoshi-sempai finally arrived. Also, Taiga. (I didn't talk to him and Tetsu for one week! It was depressing). He fought Taiga in the gym using indoor shoes. He gave Taiga the title of the Ace Player. A day after he arrived, Kiyoshi-sempai, using his Founder Power, made the freshmen fight in the practice games for three-days straight! In short, Kiyoshi-sempai is another idiot!

And then, just this afternoon, I saw Taiga and Tetsu walking together just a few meters in front of me. I just came from the convenience store (to buy another medium-sized cup ice cream) and then I saw them knuckle-bumped.

"Let's get stronger, quickly and show them in the winter cup the reborn of Kuroko's basketball." I heard Taiga said.

Just imagine my shock when my two ex-friends who were previously ignoring each other were walking together like BFF and they are clearly leaving me behind.

I guffawed and dropped the ice cream on the ground. I mean, it was shocking and kind'_a_ hurts, you know! I started to quiver and I sniffed because I am going to cry already. Those two bird-brains saw me and just said:

"Ah!"

I sniffed again because tears started forming. They are so unfair! They are about to walk toward me but I stepped back. The two of them stopped.

I sniffed again, because tears finally came down to my face.

"Maya-san, why are you crying?" Tetsu asked.

Because it feels like I just saw someone I love dearly with another person! I wanted to say. I really felt _that_ betrayed. But I turned my back to them instead and started to run. But it was futile. Being basketball players, they ran faster and easily caught up with me. Taiga put his super heavy arm on me which put me to a stop.

"You just don't cry and then run like that!" He said.

I was still crying, putting my fingers on my eyes, and it's hard to talk - but I talked anyway. "Because you didn't tell me you already got back together!"

"Somehow, that turned out to mean something different, Maya-san" Tetsu said.

"You're so unfair!" I wailed dropping my hands.

"I'd like to clear that we just got our bearings back. Not got back together!" Taiga said.

"You're pushing me out!" I wailed.

"I'm sorry, Maya." Taiga said.

"I'm sorry, Maya-san." Tetsu said.

"NO!"

Tetsu held my hand. "I'll buy you a Popsicle, so don't cry anymore."

"I don't like Popsicle!" I cried.

A few minutes later, I am now calm and I'm eating a parfait. Taiga and Tetsu (in his own way) are grinning at me widely.


	11. The Perks of Summer Camp Adventures 1

**I just don't know what happened here! Maya is going to kill me. Entirely fictional, forgive me! Haha. So far, Maya x Kagami, here. :) Two parts.**

**I love dust bunnies.**

**Read and review and keep following. Thanks so much.**

***Dragon Ball Z**

****School Rumble**

*****My Neighbor Totoro**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

Part 1

* * *

_**August 05**_

Dear Friend,

Finally, my sixteen years in life has been spelled as F-U-N. We had Seirin Basketball Club's summer camp, (as in, the famous club summer camp in anime) at the beach! Although I had a lot of screw ups, I did enjoy it. I mean, it's a week without my parents and siblings! Just how cool is that! It's totally freedom - the freedom I so worked hard for. Getting permission from my parents is harder than getting a camel through the eye of the needle. I am not kidding! That's how strict my parents are! To the point of calling Aida-sempai, Hyuuga-sempai, Kiyoshi-sempai and their respective parents just to confirm that the training camp is an official club activity (legit, in short). My parents made their parents assure them that I will be in good hands! IT WAS EMBARASSING, I COULD JUST DIE! I mean, I do understand their concern for me and really love them for that, but, jeez! They would have called the entire basketball club members if I hadn't lied that I don't have their numbers – which saved me from killing myself (exaggeratedly speaking of course). I'm sixteen for goodness' sake! And then after that (yep, there's more) we had a discussion after we had our dinner.

"Maya, I would like you take good care of yourself." My father started.

"Yes, I will Dad. You don't have to worry about me." I assured him.

"And be sure to exercise chastity." My mother said solemnly. Did I forget to mention that I was drinking a glass of water here, and when my mom said chastity, I showered the water out of my nose!

"Yuck!" Robin said disgustingly, flinching away from me.

I was coughing. "Ma!? Really?! Chastity?!"

"Riko and you are the only girls in the group. There's nothing wrong with reminding you." Mom said.

"Of course, we trust you about this subject Maya. It's the boys that we don't." Dad said.

I was gaping at them stupidly. Seriously?! I'm JUST sixteen! (I was contradictory, I know! But! Hello?!)

"Listen to your Dad." Mom said to me.

Like, I have a choice.

"I was once their age, and I know what they are thinking." Dad started his explanation, like a true sage.

Yeah, Dad! All they think about is basketball. Haven't I told you that they are all basketball freaks? I wanted to say. No offense meant to the Seirin guys.

"They are at the age where urges are much stronger than self-restraint. Boys will be boys, Maya."

"Yes, Dad. I understand."

"So exercise caution." Mom reminded me.

"Yes."

"No sex."

I nearly knock my head on the table. "Mom, please! Yes! As if we would do that! That's like eww! It's training camp!"

What do they think are going to happen there, exactly?! How could they think I could even do that!?

"Training camp for s**…" Robin was about to say, grinning like a pervert, but Mom slapped his hands.

"Ow! I'm joking Mom!" Robin cried.

"Perv!" I said to my brother.

"That goes for you too, Robin. No sexual activities until you are married." Dad said to him.

My parents are TOTALLY paranoid!

Anyway, I'm so excited I barely slept the night before we traveled. This is after all my first summer camp and who could blame me?! The boys took the train while Aida-sempai and I took her father's car because there are a lot of things to carry and as a manager I must see to it that everything is perfect.

Aida-sempai's father is a tall muscular man (of course, since he was the gym owner, duh!). He was like a wild bear from a wild mountain with cool shades.

"Hello, Mr. Aida, nice to meet you." I greeted.

He took my shoulders with both hands. It was heavy; I was buried a feet to the ground. He was grinning at me widely.

"Haha, so you are the manager, Maya-chan."

"…_Hai_."

"Riko told me a lot about you! You're just as cute as my daughter!" He chuckled proudly.

"Thank you, Mr. Aida. You look good too." I returned the compliment.

He put more force on my shoulders, and I was two-feet deep. Mr. Aida laughed. He was as strong as *Goku powering up, and he's putting the gravity-thing on me.

"Of course, where would Riko get her cute-ness?"

"Hahaha!" I laugh difficultly.

"Daddy, you're burying Maya alive!" Aida-sempai reprimanded, and I was saved!

We took the (super) heavy equipments inside the van and we're off to the beach!

"By the way, Aida-sempai, we haven't talk about the cooking schedules." I said to Aida-sempai. I was tasked to say that because the boys beg me to at least cook one meal for them. Aida-sempai's cooking is leveled up with **Tsukamoto Tenma. I don't know how to describe it. No mammoth appearing or volcano exploding scenes to make a point of how un-edible it is, but it made Hyuuga-sempai, Kiyoshi-sempai and Mitobe-sempai suffer a near-death experience.

"Haha, don't worry Maya, I got it all covered." Aida-sempai gave me a thumbs-up. Taiga taught her a few tricks. Can you believe Taiga can cook? And he lives by himself! I started to wonder how _emo _he could be, all alone in his house.

"But I can cook breakfast?" I offered.

Let me explain, I am not exactly a good cook, but I am confident with my breakfast meal (I made it every Saturday, remember?) which is limited to: rice (cooked by a rice cooker), egg (any type), sausages, bacon, toast (any kind), cereal (if available), pancakes, fruit salad, and smoothies.

"No need, really, but thank you!" She gave me that I-don't-need-help-in-cooking look. But I still tried my best.

"I can prepare the ingredients and you do the cooking." I said because Aida-sempai doesn't know how to chop foods. She puts them in the casserole as is. Yeah, it was that scary.

"Ok, then." She agreed. "I cook for the boys and you cook for the both of us."

Since the boys are having a different set of 'for-athletes-only' diet, and I will be spared from the Aida-sempai's cooking. I said: "Ok."

And that rest her case.

I wish the boys safety.

We arrived at the venue just seconds after the guys. The house that we will be staying out is a run-down ancient beach house. Like, since Japan's ancient times.

"Wah! Are we that poor?!" I shouted running in front to take a good look at the inn.

"Well, since we are having two training camps, we have no choice." Izuki-sempai said.

"It's not that bad. They might be there, you know." Teppei-nii said.

"Onii-chan, what is there?" I asked him curiously.

"Maya, please stop calling that creep onii-chan!" Hyuuga-sempai scolded putting his hands against his temples, as if the mere term make his head hurts.

I want to stop but I got used to calling him _onii-chan_ it already turned into a habit! Call me a weirdo! Call me anything you want! I am ashamed!

"The tiny black soots - Makkuro Kurosuke" Teppei-nii declared.

"That's too fictional Kiyoshi! Don't underestimate high school students!" The guys yelled.

"Like the one in ***Totoro?! They're here?!" I asked, eyes shining!

"No, they're not real Maya!" The boys corrected.

"No, I'm sorry! Please call him your brother!" Hyuuga-sempai said giving up.

Since we can't use the gym until evening, we are going to the beach. Mr. Aida arranged a basketball court in the beach sand. But I was really excited that I ignored the fact that we are going to practice.

My friend, this is my first screw up.

"_UMI DA_!" I shouted at the top of my lungs! I almost cried, everyone said this in anime summer camps. I am so glad I could have the opportunity to say this.

"You're really excited Maya-san." Tetsu commented.

"Too excited even for an elementary student." Taiga remarked.

I was on my white bikini and already holding the inflatable doughnut-shaped life buoy. And I ran toward the blue endless sea. It was a sparkling moment, really.

"_Chotto matte!"_ Aida-sempai said.

She grabbed my shoulders but since I was still in the process of running, her hand slipped pass toward my back and to my bra, yes, bra – as in bikini top, grabbed the ties instead and untangled the ribbon. Luckily, I tripped on my own foot and fell flat on my face on the sand before I could become totally topless and make the scene porn-like. No, seriously.

"Kyaa!" I screamed in horror.

"WOOOOOHHHHHHH!" The boys shouted in amazement slash excitement slash shock. Add the part of spurting nosebleeds.

"Waah! I'm sorry!" Aida-sempai apologized kneeling beside me. "But we are on the training camp, Maya."

"I'm so sorry, I forgot."

"If you forget that again, I'll strip you naked." She said threateningly.

"WOOOOOHHH!" The boys said again. I am totally going to kill them.

"Aida-sempai!" I cried. She started tying the strings together again.

Face-totally red I stood up and faced the guys as I covered my breasts with my hands. I was scowling at them – showing them my murder-face. This was that awkward moment. Nobody spoke or even moved for a minute.

"We didn't see anything at all!" Taiga courageously said in hopes to assure me. The other guys nodded in agreement.

But I can see they were all blushing! Oh, yeah, that was reassuring. Shit! That was so embarrassing!

"We didn't see anything, so don't worry, Maya-san." Tetsu repeated calmly.

"If they see anything, I'll make sure they'll forget, Maya." Aida-sempai said raising her fist. The guys shuddered.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt that they didn't see anything inappropriate, I coughed as if nothing happened.

"Let's start the training!" I yelled in akimbo.

And so the rigorous training until evening commenced. We are so tired that at the end of the day that all of us immediately went to bed. (We haven't gone to the beach to at least swim, which disappointed me. Yeah, I know. We are here to train. But this is the beach! C'mon!)

And then it happened:

THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF MAKKURO KUROSUKE

It was in the middle of the night when I was awoken by squeaking and brushing sounds. I told you before that I hate it when my sleep is disturbed (especially that I am so tired) so I was in my demonic-mode when I opened my eyes. But lo and behold, above me are circles of white eyes – hundreds and thousands of them – all staring at me, I was so shocked that I literally felt my heart stop beating and it took me a second to find my voice to shout.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHHHHH!" It was low and animalistic that it shocked me more that I could make that sound. Uhg! Those creepy eyes suddenly dispersed and burst out into nothingness. It was unbelievable.

"What! What happened?!" Aida-sempai woke up puzzled. We share the same room.

"Ma…makk..ma…" I stammered to explain.

"Mac?" She clarified.

And then there were a lot of footsteps and a second later, the boys appeared. They all look bewildered – just-got-out-of-bed-bewildered. Hyuuga-sempai was the first one who stepped inside our room and looked at the wall.

"What happened?!" He asked the wall. He wasn't wearing his eyeglasses so I understand him.

"Err, you're looking at the wrong side Hyuuga-kun!" Teppei-nii said. Izuki-sempai fixed his head to our direction.

"What happened?!" Hyuuga-sempai repeated.

"It's the Makkuro Kurosuke!" I said in a high-pitched voice. It was too unbelievable that I got so excited.

"The what?!"

"Makkuro Kurosuke! I just saw them in my own eyes!" I said.

"Eh?!"

"Their eyes were just staring at me. I can't believe it!"

"Maya, aren't you mistaking your dream as the reality?" Taiga asked.

"No, no! They're real! I'm already awake when I saw them." I persuaded.

The boys started walking back to their room.

"Yeah, yeah!" Taiga said and he started walking away. And then Tetsu looked back at me with his dead-eyes like I seriously made a grievous crime of waking him up.

How dare they?! I know what I saw! I was telling them the truth! It's so aggravating that they won't believe me. ARG!

We peacefully settled on our beds and go back to dreamland. Except for me, of course. You can't expect me to go back to sleep. I just couldn't. I kept staring at the empty blank black space before me. I was waiting for the damn black soots to appear before me again. And it felt like forever. The worse part though is that I've been suppressing the issue concerning my urinary bladder for quite a while now. I was too nervous (ok, afraid) to go to the restroom. The Makkuro Kurosuke might attack! You'll never know. I used my right foot to (gently) wake-up Aida-sempai.

"Sempai…" I whispered.

"Hnnnn…"

"Restroom… come with me."

"No."

"Please…"

"Maya, you're too old for that." Aida-sempai snarled. She was the second one to refuse me which was understandable. I stop asking her because she might kill me!

I crawled out of bed, like a military-man, and went to the boys' room which is just a door away from ours. The boys took two rooms. One for the sempais, one for the freshmen. The nearest room is that of the freshmen. The rest room, my destination, is in the first floor, at the very end of the corridor. And it's so dark and all, there is no way I can do it by myself.

I knocked. No answer.

"Taiga… Tetsu…" I said in a whisper. There is the Will-of-the-wisps on my side to provide some light. I was on ghost-mode.

No answer. I opened the door and levitated to where Tetsu and Taiga are sleeping.

"Taiga… Tetsu…" I said again, ghastly.

"Hn?" Taiga first opened his eyes. And then Tetsu. I was hovering above them.

"WAAH!" They both shouted.

When they recognized me, they immediately got up.

"Fuck Maya! What the hell are you doing here!?" Taiga said pissed.

I was already teary-eyed because my bladder and stomach would explode any minute now. "Restroom… I need to go… please."

Even talking was difficult. I need to go. Like seriously.

"Jeez! You are too old for this!" Taiga said.

"You don't need to say what Aida-sempai just said." I pouted.

"Kuroko! You come with her!" Taiga said.

"Ah..." Tetsu said and then he disappeared right in front of us. The idiot! He's taking for granted his special skill!

"Kuroko, you bastard!" Taiga growled.

I held to Taiga's arm. "Need to go now, uh, uhnn, it will come out!" I said desperately.

"Shit! Don't say it like that! Fine, fine! I'll go with you!" Taiga said standing up.

And so there. It's a success. It took one and a half minutes to let it all out. And ugh! I'm so embarrassed to Taiga because the flow was too noisy. Like, whoooshshhshhsshhhh! Just un-lady like.

10 seconds after landing: "Can you hear it?!" I yelled at the door.

"No! I don't hear anything." Taiga yelled back.

30 seconds after landing: "Do you hear anything."

"Just. Please! Get over with it!"

1 minute after landing: "Taiga, are you there?"

"For Pete's sake, how long are you going to urinate?!"

I gasped. "Don't pressure me!"

"I'm not!"

1 minute and 25 seconds after landing: Taiga started pounding on the door.

"Could you wait!" I said annoyed.

"The hell! I am just doing that! It's taking you too long!"

"It isn't my fault!"

I came out at the bathroom feeling refreshed. I won't banter at Taiga because he was too kind to escort me.

"Ah! That feels good. Thank you, Taiga." I said sincerely.

"You owe me with …" Taiga didn't finish his sentence. His face which is already scary turned scarier.

"Do you want to use the rest room?"

Taiga's face got paler and then he pointed behind me.

"Mak…Makk…"He stammered.

I am not an idiot to not get what he means so I immediately turned my head. I didn't see them but I heard the squeaking and brushing sound again. Taiga took my hand (thankfully not the head) and ran like crazy. He banged the door of their room waking the guys up.

"They're real!" He shouted.

"What?" Kawahara-san asked.

"The Makkuro Kurosuke! They are real!" Taiga said. He was breathing so hard from shock.

Tetsu, Fukuda-san and Furihata-san got up dazed.

I patted Taiga's back. "Don't panic, Taiga."

"What happened?" Tetsu asked.

There are a lot of noises now so the sempais also got out of their room.

"Jeez! What's all the noise!? It's almost three in the morning!" Koganei-sempai complained.

"The Makkuro Kurosukes are real! Maya is telling the truth!" Taiga said.

"Hmp!" I said quite boastfully. I've won!

"Ah! So they are real after all." Teppei-nii said.

"Kiyoshi! Don't say that now." Hyuuga-sempai, now with the eyeglasses, said.

And then Teppei-nii pointed at the ceiling. We all look up and saw millions of Makkuro Kurosukes gathering. It was black and creepy. They were supposed to be cute but god, their eyes! It was the eyes that got us. We all shouted for the heck of it!

And then Aida-sempai went out the room. "Can you please quiet down?!" She yelled.

And then she saw the Makkuro Kurosukes. The creatures' eyes went red and they unmercifully attacked Aida-sempai. They covered her! It was totally terrifying! And then when they left her, Aida-sempai unconsciously fell with a loud thud. We screamed again and this time ran for our lives. But the Makkuro Kurosukes was aiming at us for a kill.

Mitobe-sempai and Tsuchida-sempai knelt to pray but they too, were swallowed in darkness.

"It's the witching hour!" Teppei-nii explained. "Creatures have gone evil!"

"They've gone nuts!" Taiga yelled.

Hyuuga-sempai tripped but grabbed Teppei-nii to come along with him. Seconds later they are gone. One by one, we are enveloped by oblivion! We are running and I am already tired.

"This is crazy! Guys, open the window!" I said to the remaining survivors with me – the first years.

"Why?" Taiga asked.

"Just open the f*ck*ng exits!" I shouted.

All of us opened the windows we ran into. Some of the Makkuro Kurosukes (because they are a lot) went out the exits, like water spilled from its container. They are still aiming at us though, and like any other horror films, we ended up at a dead end. Like the horror films, we watch how we die. And then like any other horror films, they stopped just in time, and like the last time I saw them, they exploded into nothingness.

Time check: 3:01 a.m.

"What happened?" Tetsu asked. Again.

We were all lying lifelessly on the floor. We are all so weak and tired, we cannot take it anymore. The sempais were on the floor sleeping.

"I am forgetting what just happened there!" Taiga said.

"Agreed!" The rest of us said.

Just because we are good kohais, we put the sempais back in their rooms. And then said our good-nights lifelessly and continued on with our sleep. We are all set to forget what just happened and make it a synchronized nightmare.

The first day was that crazy! Wait till you hear what happened in the morning! I nearly died of blood loss!

_To be continued._


	12. The Perks of Summer Camp Adventures 2

**Sorry, sorry, it took a while. Anyway! Part 2! Maya is crazy. LOL!**

**Thank you for including this story in one of the communities.**

***Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest**

****The Little Mermaid**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

Part 2

* * *

I was feeling gruff, grumpy and grouchy all at the same time (yeah, and all of it means the same) the moment I opened my eyes. I haven't slept that well at all! Last night was too out of this world and mind-boggling that my brain has to work overtime just to process everything.

Aida-sempai wasn't in our room anymore. I can't believe she would still get up early to fix the boys their breakfast! I guess she was _that_ dedicated to cooking.

I am not.

I know, though, that I still have to get up whether I like it or not since there still 'The Training' ahead. I lazily took my morning ritual stuffs out of my bag only to find out that I forgot to bring a tooth paste. Without bothering to fix myself, I went to the common room to ask the innkeeper if they could give me one but I saw Tetsu (I can see him easily now) on the way. I decided to ask him instead to share his toothpaste.

"Ohayo!" I greeted.

"Ohayo." He sleepily said.

"Pft! Tetsu, your hair looks weird!" I said.

"Your hair looks weird too Maya-san." He said.

I know it wasn't exactly a compliment. So, hoping he will return it if I admire him (because I never heard he complimented someone ever – with the exception of the Gen-M and Taiga, of course), I said:

"But it's cute!"

And then he just looked at me with that annoying dead-pan expression of his for one, two, then three seconds. Jerk! I threw him my toothbrush and it hit his head.

"_Itai!_ That hurts Maya-san!" He complained.

"At least say my hair is also cute, idiot!"

"I'm sorry. Your just-got-of-the-bed-hair is cute."

He said this with that calm serious face; I can't believe I bought it!

"So, where is Taiga?"

"He got up just seconds before me."

So we went to the direction of cleaning rooms and saw Taiga already brushing his teeth in front of the large mirror near the restrooms.

"Taiga!"

He spit out the water in his mouth before answering me.

"Wahaha! What's with the hair, you look…"

I cut him short. "Don't you dare say it!"

"Tch!" And then he took some water again.

Tetsu, who has gone ahead of brushing his teeth, spit on the sink which made Taiga spurt out the liquid he just took. He just noticed Tetsu beside him. I laughed mockingly.

"Nice one, Tetsu!"

"You're doing that on purpose!" Taiga yelled.

"Ohayo!" Tetsu said.

And so the three of us brushed our teeth and tongues until foams and foams of bubbles came out from our mouth while we stare at the mirror. No one spoke about what happened last night. The large black bags under our eyes say it all. The two only did theirs for half-a-minute which appalled me. Uhg, boys! Toothbrush (a new one, FYI) in my mouth, I said:

"Adsfgtvtlskf!"

"Please talk properly, Maya-san." Tetsu said.

I took some water, regurgitate, spit the water out, and look at them wide-eyed.

"You only brushed your teeth for thirty seconds!" I said.

"So?" Taiga asked.

"Are you serious?!" I said putting my toothbrush in my mouth again. "Akfgsd… GRAAAWWWKK!"

"Maya! Can you stop making weird sounds?!" Taiga said disgusted.

I spilled, tongue out, the elements from my mouth because I almost pushed my toothbrush as far as my larynx and pharynx. I was choking and was coughing like there's no tomorrow- the bubbles in my mouth would have been caused by seizures or poison or brain damage and it's a matter of time before I die! I couldn't breathe and my eyes started to water. Oh my god! In front of me were Takao-san and Midorima-san!

"Huh?!" Takao-san said.

"Eh?!" Taiga looked back.

"Hello." Tetsu said.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Taiga yelled.

"I SHOULD ASK THAT QUESTION!" Midorima-san yelled back.

While they were shouting and explaining why they were here (training camp, as usual) at the same time, I was already kneeling because of another dying-event in my life. The idiots with me are ignoring me again!

"Whoa! Maya-san!" Takao-san said. Finally! What's the use of his Hawk's Eyes?!

I couldn't even speak! I was coughing so hard, I could spit blood!

"She's too shocked to see you, Shuutuko guys, here." Idiot#2 Tetsu said.

"If she died, it's your fault." Idiot#1Taiga said.

Maybe if they wouldn't just stand there discussing my death and would help me now, I would live! HELLO!?

And then Midorima-san knelt before me [insert any romantic song here], and put his hands on my shoulders. "Pisces, are you ok?"

Damn, he called me Pisces! He is really a freak.

Whatever was in my mouth, it's still spilling when I look at him. Yuck! So MAJOR TURN-OFF on my part. He was radiating (the eyeglasses were shining at me) and rosy-ish (as in roses in the background), and his touch was too much that I spurted blood out of my nose to the point of unconsciousness. Shit! I wasn't prepared!

By the way, this is:

CASE 1: MAYA'S DEATH - THE CURSE OF MEGANE

I fainted. I excreted one liter of blood already. When I regained consciousness, he, Megane Midorima, was carrying me.

"Let's bring her somewhere she could breathe fresh air." Midorima-san said.

"I can't believe she fainted." Taiga said.

"It must have been because of _that_." Tetsu said.

"Don't remind me!" Taiga warned.

"Oh, look, she's back." Takao-san said.

"Pisces, can you…" My face is so close to Midorima-san's face (and to the eyeglasses) that I immediately felt light-headed. Tons of blood exploded out my (cute) nose to his face. Again.

And I died.

From embarrassment.

Why didn't I at least comb my hair? He must think I look like a mess. Which I really am! And he is carrying me! My god, the last time I check, I'm 48 kilograms. Uhg! I'M HEAVIER THAN A PIG! Darn!

Totally my second screw up.

I'm so ashamed.

And my fetish is getting worse! I hate this!

When I opened my eyes (for _nth_ time), the four guys were crowding at me like I'm some kind of a rare specimen. I gasped and automatically raised my head which collided to their super-mega hard heads.

"AWWW!" We all cried.

Let me reiterate that I just woke up and was really not looking my best - which loosely translate that I look shitty. So those idiots staring at me made me self-conscious!

"It seems that this day isn't the best day for Pisces." Midorima-san stated like a freak that he is. "I would advise that Pisces here…"

"It's Maya. My name is Maya." I corrected irritatingly – tsundere-mode.

Midorima-san pushed his glasses. The weirdo me, blushed. "Then, Maya-san, please hear your horoscope forecast."

Just hearing horoscope makes me crunch my face. I don't like to get myself involve to Megane Midorima's obsession. Basketball is already enough for a connection or whatever.

"NO!" I said curtly.

"That's the fastest rejection I have ever heard." Takao-san remarked, chuckling.

"But if you would just…" Midorima-san pressed the matter.

"I said no."

"Then, I would just tell you your lucky item."

"Why?!" I asked exasperatedly. Why did you become a horoscope-freak! Why! WHY?! WHY!

"Well, because it's a bad day for Pisces and its better if you'll be equipped properly." Midorima-san explained.

"I don't think it's because of that."

Yeah, like for example, he, coming here! Out of all people, the Gen-M who wears eyeglasses has to be here! In this beach! In the same inn! For the same purpose!

Fate, you bully!

"But I've read the Pisces forecast and it says that if you are not careful with the people you are with and your surroundings, it would cause _death_."

Apparently you are one of those people; I want to say to his face.

Tetsu and Taiga 'oohed'.

"Why would you read my sign's forecast in the first place?"

"It's his hobby to read the horoscope of all zodiacs." Takao-san said. That actually explains everything.

"Meet me at the dining hall after your club practice; I will give you your lucky item for the entire week!" Midorima-san stated slash ordered.

"I don't like a lucky item!" I said in a high-voice.

"Maya-san just let him do what he wants." Takao-san said.

And then I looked at Takao-san and raise my hands and made (silly) hands gestures. Takao-san cocked his head from side to side and made (more silly) hands gestures. I asked something and he explained something. We did this for a few seconds. And we looked like total morons.

"Oi, oi. What are you two doing? Will you stop that! Takao, don't goad her!" Taiga said.

"Yes, please. Don't encourage her!" Tetsu pleaded.

Takao-san laughed. "I'm just explaining something."

"We are talking through body movements." I explained.

"Like I said, don't!" Taiga said ignoring what I just said.

I rolled my eyes at them.

And so The Training commences. Aida-sempai announced that we will be combining the gym training with the Shuutoku High.

Sarcasm mode: Like wow, lucky me! I'd be able to see Midorima-san every day! Yeah! So maybe I would just get my lucky item for a week so that I would be spared from dying!

Damn it! Why did it go to this!

That evening, I went (after all the drama, I went anyway) to the dining hall to meet Midorima-san and Takao-san, together with Tetsu and Taiga. The two idiots just wanted to see what's going to happen.

Takao-san welcomed me first and he looked like he is having an indigestion.

"Maya-san, be sure to wear your lucky item! PFT!" He said at me with his face puffing-out from containing his laughter.

"What do you mean wear? And why do I get a bad feeling with that 'PFT'?!" I asked him.

"Wear it!" He gave me a thumbs-up.

Suddenly, there was a 'TADUM' sound and then a spot light at the end of the hall. Midorima-san is standing there holding a creepy, scary, purple octopus. The very disgusting part is its tentacles are moving.

"Pisces: Your lucky color for the week is purple. Lucky number is eight. Lucky pet is octopus. Therefore!" Midorima-san said. "I put all my knowledge into making this Octopus Hat."

He pushed his glasses and raise whatever he is holding for appreciation.

So it was a hat.

My hat.

My lucky item.

That I would wear for the entire week.

I turned white and my soul escape from my body. I was paralyzed by shock. Why did I agree to this? It was so ugly I couldn't event take a look at it! Seriously, it looks like *Davy Jones and **Ursulla's baby! It's moving!

Suddenly, Midorima-san placed the Disgusting Moving Tentacles Octopus Hat on my head.

"Oh, it fits perfectly!" Midorima-san said. He stared and then looked away. And he then coughed.

"Let me see." Taiga said.

The four of them line up to take a good look at me. There was a pause, but somehow, I knew what's next. They laughed so hard while pointing at me.

"WAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! Midorima! This is hilarious! Hahahahahahahahah!" Taiga said, holding his stomach.

"You're really good at this Midorima-kun." Tetsu said. He was covering his face with his hands but I still heard his: Hehehe!

"I told you! I told you! Hahaha!" Takao-san was crying already.

By this time, I was already possessed by a demon. So before they could get a second round laughing at me, I punched Takao-san in the face.

"OOOHKH!" He said.

I punched Tetsu in the stomach.

"Ita!" He said.

I kicked Taiga in the face.

"WAHGH!" He cried.

And for the kill - I took Midorima-san (who was kneeling, of course) in the neck.

"Are you making fun of me, bastard?! Is this your revenge because I broke your lucky item last time? HA?"

The eyeglasses were gleaming at me.

"Of course not. I won't bear a grudge for a long time. And Maya-san, I wouldn't make fun of you. I told you it's your lucky item to save you from death."

"Oho! THIS IS MY LUCKY ITEM?" I pointed at the Disgusting Moving Tentacles Octopus Hat at the top of my head.

"Yes."

He stared at me and then looked away and then coughed. He is clearly laughing at me!

The eyeglasses were gleaming at me again.

Pissed, I took his eyeglasses.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"You piece of shit! You dare to gleam at me like that, huh!" I said to the eyeglasses. It gleamed again.

"You have no sense of shame!" I said to the eyeglasses.

"Maya-san, are you talking to the eyeglasses?" Tetsu asked.

"Yes! Because it's making fun of me too!" I said teary-eyed. I wanted to break the eyeglasses in half, really, like stomp on it with my feet but I can't!

"Maya-san, that's an eyeglasses." Takao-san explained.

"That's my eyeglasses!" Midorima-san said squinting.

"Guys, give up! She lost it!" Taiga said to them and then turned to me.

"Maya, give back the eyeglasses." He said calmly.

I gripped the eyeglasses hard.

"I wanted to step on it but I can't!" I sobbed.

"Let's be calm. Give back the eyeglasses." Taiga reached his hands.

The situation turned out to be some serious kind of hostage-taking. I am the hostage-taker with a Disgusting Moving Tentacles Octopus Hat and I abducted the eyeglasses. The four of them are the negotiators. The only thing left is the sirens wailing.

"Maya-san, listen to us!" Tetsu said.

"Maya-san!" Takao-san yelled.

"Maya-san, my eyeglasses!" Midorima-san said to Takao-san.

"No!" I took a step back, they took a step forward.

I was about to run but the four of them jumped over me.

"Wait! No!" I shrieked. But it was too late. I was covered by them in mere seconds. And my god, the weight! They are so heavy! I was crushed. These people! They are the ones who are going to kill me!

And then: CRAAARACKK!

It was the eyeglasses.

"Eh?!" The boys said.

We all stood up one by one. On the floor were shards of Midorima-san's eyeglasses.

"It wasn't my fault!" I yelled. "If you didn't jump at me this wouldn't happen!"

"What are you guys doing?" Hyuuga-sempai appeared with Teppei-nii.

Because I was the one bullied here, I ran to them.

"Onii-chan!" I said. Teppei-nii took me in his arms like a child.

"What's wrong Maya-chan?" He asked.

"Kiyoshi, don't take it too far!" Hyuuga-sempai warned.

I pointed at the four idiots.

"They are bullying me!" I accused.

"Oi! When did we?!" Taiga said.

"Guys, what did you do to her?!" Teppei-nii asked.

"Wha! You're taking her side, senpai?!" Takao-san asked.

"Hear us first." Tetsu said.

"She broke my glasses!" Midorima-san said.

"See! They are bullying me!"

"Four guys against one girl, tch, tch." Hyuuga-sempai shook his head.

"But, but, but, but…" The four of them chorused.

"What's that on your head?" Teppei-nii asked me.

They all look at me. And then one by one: "PFT" at me.

I already know I look ridiculous wearing the Disgusting Moving Tentacles Octopus Hat! Jeez!

"This is…" I hesitated.

"That is her lucky item." Midorima-san said to Taiga.

"You seriously need eyeglasses Midorima." Taiga said.

"They made me wear this so that they could make fun of me!" I said.

"Stop making stories!" The four of them said.

I took the Disgusting Moving Tentacles Octopus Hat with my hands to remove it from my head to stop this nonsense.

"Eh?"

I pulled the hat.

"Eh? Eh!"

"Maya-chan, what wrong?" Teppei-nii asked.

"I can't remove it." I said horrid-faced.

"The hat?" Hyuuga-sempai clarified.

"I CAN'T REMOVE IT!" I panicked.

Teppei-nii let me down. He tried to remove the Disgusting Moving Tentacles Octopus Hat.

"Aha, right. It's stuck." He informed.

He just said that the world is going to end!

A lot of very loud thunders are seen and heard in the background. My hair started growing like Medusa (thanks to the moving tentacles) and faced the four idiots.

"You've done it this time!" I growled.

Taiga, Tetsu and Takao-san threw Midorima-san at me to be my first victim.

The next day, all Seirin Basketball Club Members were laughing at me. We were having our breakfast together.

"Can you believe, she slept with it last night?" Aida-sempai told the guys.

"Stop it! This is really serious! I can't remove it! How can I go to the beach with this!" I said hopelessly.

"Why don't you ask Midorima-san about that, he was the one who made it right?!" Izuki-sempai said, laughing.

"She killed him last night." Taiga said, his face still bulging from the bruises.

"She almost killed us too." Tetsu said, his face and eyes were swelling.

"It's your fault, hmp!" I said to them.

I endured being the laughing-stock for the whole day. Later that evening, Seirin and Shuutoku held another match again. Seirin lost like the last time. And unfortunately, Midorima-san had another set of eyeglasses. He is so prepared! That freak.

We met at the dining hall. We were also waiting for Taiga. Aida-sempai ordered him to run to and fro the very far convenience store.

"I'm really sorry, Maya-san. I really don't know why it got stuck in your head." Midorima-san said as he tried to pull the hat off my head.

"I will forgive you only if you remove this thing on my head!"

"This is strange, this is only cloth! Why would it get stuck like this?" Midorima-san analyzed.

If its cloth, why would it have a moving tentacles?!

"Let me try." Takao-san offered. He pulled and pushed but it's not budging.

"Why don't we just cut it?" Tetsu asked.

"No! I wouldn't suggest it!" Midorima-san said.

"I want it removed now!" I wailed.

"_Tonikaku._ Maya, your only option is to let it stay for a week." Midorima said.

"Are you crazy?!"

"That is your lucky item for the week. Let it do its purpose."

"You're telling me that I couldn't clean my hair for one week?!"

"Basically, yes."

"No fucking way! Let's cut it!"

"I told you, it's not a good idea." Midorima-san reiterated. But I already have scissors from somewhere and was already cutting it.

"Maya-san, NO!" Midorima-san shouted.

And then it finally got off my head.

"Yay!" I cheered. Tetsu and Takao-san clapped for me.

And then I stepped on the now-cut-into-pieces Disgusting Moving Tentacles Octopus Hat.

"That's your lucky item!" Midorima-san said horrified.

"Shin-chan, why are you so horrified? It's just a hat!" Takao-san said to him.

"Takao! What do you think will happen if you destroyed your lucky item?"

"Err, it will be thrown because it was already destroyed?!" Takao-san offered.

"No! It will bring you bad luck! The only thing for Maya-san now is death!"

"Can you stop saying that?! That's silly! Who would die in a place like…." I stop before I finished the sentence. A knife just swished on my way. It was just centimeters away from my face!

"WAHHHH!" The three boys screamed

I was perspiring from that near-death event so bad, I thought I'm going to die! For real.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! Are you hurt?" One of the innkeepers appeared.

"N..no." I stammered.

"I'm sorry. We were fixing the kitchen tools and it just happened that a knife got thrown!" She explained. And then she was gone.

I laughed unsurely.

"It started!" Midorima-san forbade.

"But you heard the innkeeper, it was just an accident." I reasoned out.

And then Taiga came. He banged the door so loud that it caused tremors to the walls. And then the chandelier (WHAT THE HELL! A chandelier on a run-down inn! Really?!) crashed down just inches away from me.

"WAHHHH!" The boys screamed

"Maya! Are you alright?!" Taiga called.

"Maya-san! This is bad!" Tetsu said.

Oh, yeah! This is f*ck*ng bad!

That night I asked Aida-sempai if I could sleep beside her. She must have seen that I am really scared so she said yes.

Morning came. I made sure to be extra-careful. I don't really believe that I'd die or something bad would happen but it doesn't hurt to be extra-careful. I mean the knife and chandelier! So like a paranoid-crazy person, I looked left and right, jumped and crawled, and turned as I went to the bathroom to (finally) clean my hair.

The thing I saw inside made me convinced that my life is in danger. Or worse. I am cursed!

Fully-naked, in the bathtub (thank you! But still…) is Shuutoku's coach! My god! It was a horrifying sight! Seriously, the worst sight in the universe ever! I screamed (the life-in-danger scream) and then nearly barfed on the spot.

Shuutoku's coach also screamed, covering his chest!

_Zetsuboushita! _Why is this happening to me?!

The Shuutoku and Seirin's boys came running to the scene. I was on fours on the floor covering my mouth to stop puking. My eyes are spinning.

"What the!" That was Taiga and he knelt beside me.

"Maya, please, control your fetish!" He whispered to me.

I snapped at what he said and only thought of killing him! All sense gone, I bit his neck like a vampire! He screamed and stood and then he started flailing around.

"Sensei!" Otsubo-sempai, Shuutoku's #4, said. "This is the girls' bathroom."

"Thank god it wasn't me who saw him first!" Aida-sempai said.

"Don't say that out-loud!" Hyuuga-sempai said to her.

Taiga lost his consciousness and then I jumped at Midorima-san. "Make me another lucky item! I beg you! Did you see that?! I mean…"

Remembering it make me barf again. I covered my mouth.

"I'll make you another one, so just don't puke at me, Maya-san!" Midorima-san pleaded.

"Make sure it's cute this time!" I said.

To make the long story short, he made me another purple octopus. But this time it is a plushie with ribbon and glasses. Yes. It's cute! And the day (and the following days) went normally.

It made me so happy. I mean, with all the stuff that I experienced, who wouldn't?!

Aida-sempai even allowed us one day to swim at the beach! Ok, I didn't swim but I finally made use of the bikini I bought!

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. Taiga has a great butt.

It just so happened that I misplaced Tako (the octopus plushie). I brought it with me when I went for a bath. Shin (yep, first name basis, baby, because Midorima is too long) said I should always bring it with me. But because I am not used to, I forgot Tako. Aida-sempai came to our room when I was about to go out.

"Aida-sempai, did you see Tako in the bath?" She knows I named the plushie Tako.

"Nope. They are cleaning the bathroom now though. You better hurry and find it."

I arrived at the girls' bath, but it was already closed. One of the innkeepers said that the cleaning man was cleaning the boys' bath at the moment. And so, I went to the boys' bathroom and asked the cleaning man if he saw Tako.

Just then, Taiga appeared. Naked. The only thing covering him down there is a piece of small towel. The cleaning man and I looked at him.

Down there.

There was the dot, dot, dot in the air.

"Maya, what are you doing here?!" Taiga asked unembarrassed that he was naked in front of me.

I would just like to mention that his body build isn't that of a seventeen years old. It was too muscular. Damn! Fine! His body is way too hot! Who could ignore that! He has a six-pack abs!

"I..uhh…" I can't think. I was staring down there.

"Please stop drooling!" Taiga said.

I wiped my mouth with my hands and then cleared my throat.

"I was looking for Tako!" I said in a pitchy voice! "Anyway, the bath is closed! So, shoo!"

I waved my hands to shoo him away.

"Damn, I arrived too late." He turned and that's when I saw the GREAT BUTT.

Man, seriously, it was by far the greatest ass that I ever saw. It was the only butt I ever saw (aside from my family's).

When he was gone, the cleaning man grinned widely.

"Nice ass." He commented.

I grinned at him. We were giggling like perverts!

"Exactly!"

The cleaning man told me that Tako is already in the lost and found department.


	13. The Perks of Aomine Daiki

**Not really that funny, I think! Haha. Since I am not really a fan of Aomine. (I am so sorry!) But I do like him. Especially if he ends up with Momoi! This is just Maya and her hormones.  
**

***Code Geass  
**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

**_August 15_  
**

Dear Friend,

Ryota invited me for a date. Okay... It's not exactly a date. He called and asked if I could meet him today, which kind of like he wanted to have a date with me, but then, he never said it as a date exactly, but it looked like a date anyway. Ok, fine, to be honest I wanted to have a date with him.

What happened all of a sudden?

Well, first, who wouldn't want to have a date with Ryota Kise?! I mean, he has a photo-book printed and sold nationwide which makes him kind of popular. Plus, I never dated a good-looking guy before; this is like once in a lifetime chance for me! But the real reason is, I had a change of perspective about him ever since I witnessed his triumphant defeat against Aomine Daiki. I actually thought he was cool. No kidding!

I haven't wrote about this, but the day we ought to go back home after the summer camp is also the day of the Inter-high's semi-finals. Its Ryota's team against Aomine's team. He texted me about it and Aida-sempai (who knows everything related to basketball) let us watched the game. I've said before that Aomine's basketball play is totally whacko right? Can you believe that Ryo actually parried with him? I mean seriously, he was the only player I know who can go against Aomine. Sadly they lost. And I saw Ryo cry which made my heart moved or something. I am a sucker for guys who cried. Like when Tomoya cried when Nagisa died, I was like, NOO! And I was crying with him, like really cried with the snot and mucus out of my nose thing, gross! I am not kidding. I was talking about Clannad, another anime which you should watch. It's REALLY great!

Anyway. So he called and our conversation went like this:

Ryota: Mayacchi! (Loud and energetic)

Me: I'm sorry but who is this? (Serious and monotone)

Ryota: _Hidoi_! I can't believe you forgot about me already *sniff* (Hurt)

Me: I'm just kidding! I was thinking it's about time you called, anyway.

Ryota: Huh?! Why?

Me: You want a shoulder to cry on because you just lost to Aomine Daiki. And because you can't show how devastated you are to your teammates or to your fellow Gen-M, you have no other choice but to call me instead. Sadly, I am your last and remaining friend.

Ryota: Err, I didn't call you because of that. And I have other friends besides them. What do you think of me?!

Me: Oh. Ok, then, bye! (Disappointed)

Ryota: Wait! Wait! You wouldn't even ask why I called you?

Me: *Sigh* And I was willing to lend you my shoulders…

Ryota: Hehehe, did I finally make an impression on you?

Me: No. (Lying)

Ryota: You could have just lied to ease my pain. (Dramatic)

Me: Whatever. I'm going to hang-up!

Ryota: Wait! Why are you so moody?!

Me: I'm having my period. (Fact)

Ryota: …

Me: …

Ryota: Should you be SAYING that to ME OVER THE PHONE?!

Me: You asked!

Ryota: Let's drop this! Anyway, do you remember Hana-san from the Amusement Park?

Me: No, I don't. (Lying)

Ryota: Seriously, Mayacchi! (Exasperated)

Me: Ok, yes, I remember him. What's up?

Ryota: Hahaha, he called me and told me we won the lovey-dovey couple contest! (Very happy)

Me: So, why did you call me?

Ryota: That's why I called you. Aren't you even happy?

Me: We are not really a lovey-dovey couple so why would I even be happy?

Ryota: Ouch! Jeez, you are really blunt, you know that?!

Me: I know.

Ryota: We can't claim the price unless we are together.

Me: What's the price?

Ryota: The front cover of the magazine for the next month's issue.

Me: That's it?!

Ryota: And 10,000 yen.

Me: You can have the front cover, I'll take the cash.

Ryota: You are really something… do you think I'd agree you'd take all the cash?!

Me: Of course!

Ryota: Mayacchii! This is the front cover of the number one teen magazine in Japan!

He is pestier than a pest. If you heard him coax me, you'll really think he is the vainest person you have met in your life ever! He really wants that front cover! And just to make him shut up, I said yes. We agreed on 50-50.

So it was a date! (Yes, of course, I know it's not. But I was kind of happy. Like duh, I'm a sixteen-year old girl undergoing puberty! Besides this is a benefit. If anyone would ask me someday if I ever had a date, at least, I could tell about this. And I am not exactly lying.)

So he actually waited for me at the train station - so unbelievably gentlemanly of him. He wasn't wearing any eyeglasses so I wouldn't worry about severe blood loss, but he is still handsome as ever with that button down shirt, navy jeans, and loafers. He beamed me his gorgeous smile. I had to close my eyes so I wouldn't go blind.

Just to make things clear, I really dressed up for today. Something that says: 'I'm not excited about this, but I am expecting this to be fun' which is the equivalent of a simple white loose blouse, nice jeans and a strappy wedge to even out our height difference – just a little bit. I'm so short. Ugh!

The magazine HQ is located in Shibuya so we rode the train.

"You look pretty, by the way." He gave me the courtesy line.

That actually really made me jump in joy (in my mind). I smiled at him.

"You also look great." Always look great.

"I'm really glad you could make it." He said as he looks down on me. And I'm actually wearing that three-inch wedge and he is looking down on me.

"Yeah, and if you had another special skill, that would be nagging."

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome. I'm actually surprised that after all that happened, you're not suicidal."

"So you are bringing up that match again."

"I can't help it." I grinned at him.

"Well, there's still the Winter Cup. Next time we would win." He said this so seriously I can't joke about it.

And he said we, not I, which I think, is good because he was also once a selfish weirdo. Tetsu's friends, the Gen-M, proven by Ryo, Shin and specially that Aomine, as I observed, are all selfish (but talented) weirdoes.

We arrived in Shibuya a couple of minutes later. Ryo led the way. Saturdays (no practice at that time since Aida-sempai declared it a rest day until Monday) are jam-packed with Japanese people; you could barely take a space on the road. Seriously! We pushed through the crowd until we've arrived at a three-story floor building - the publisher house. Hana-san welcomed us by the door.

"Ah, the love birds!" He said. I won't correct him because we are here to collect **my** 10,000 (5,000) yen.

"Hello, Hana-san!" Ryo greeted.

"Congratulations to you and Maya-san! Nice job. I knew you would win!" Hana-san said.

I smiled and bowed at him.

"Oh, you cut your hair." He commented. I didn't. The last time he saw me, I was wearing a wig.

"Ahaha, yep I did." I lied.

"It looks great on you." He complimented.

"Thank you, Hana-san."

"So, shall we get into business?" He asked the both of us. Ryo and I both nodded.

The studio where Hana-san took us is spacious but because of the good-looking models, it is cramped. The girls all looked at Ryo like he was some kind of a divine being, and they completely ignored my existence. I would have let it pass except at that time I couldn't. I took a step closer to Ryo, took his arm and glared at them. While the girls resentfully took their eyes off him, Ryo looked at me and smiled. He must think I'm getting scared with the environment or something.

Blame it on my period. Blame all that will happen on my period from now on!

Hana-san made us stand in the middle of the set. And like a plague, swarms of make-up artists busied themselves on us putting make-up or whatever on our faces. And that's when I (the stupid me) just realized that I will be on a front-cover of a best-seller magazine. Suddenly I don't know what to do. My mind literally stopped functioning and I froze. I haven't even imagined being on a magazine much more on a front cover where millions of people could see.

I'm going to be (sort-of) a celebrity! Like this is basically my debut! I'm finally going to have a _barairo_ high school life!

Like that could happen.

I'm so totally paralyzed that I can't even move my muscle to smile in-front of the camera – even though Hana-san said to act natural.

"Uhm, Maya-san, are you alright?!" Hana-san asked after seeing the loser in me.

"I'm sorry Hana-san, I just got confused." I said impromptu-ing a valid excuse. "What do you mean by acting natural?"

Lame valid excuse.

He laughed. "Just act like you both usually act when you are alone together. Ignore our existence."

"Oh right!" I said which means that's a big problem.

Because:

1. This is like only my second time going out with Ryo. And even though we are friends and are sending mails regularly to each other, we are yet on the level as acquaintances. He sends me mails. I don't. I find it energy-consuming to reply, even though there's Siri. Anyway, Ryo texts like a girl. 90% of what he sends me is emoticons!

2. I'm already acting natural with him.

3. Let me reiterate that we are not a couple. So whatever Hana-san wanted to capture in his camera, I'm sorry to say that he will not achieve it.

Being the gorgeous playboy and master in flirting, Ryo lifted me princess-style and put his forehead against mine. I'm still paralyzed so I was like a stick when he lifted me. So it looked like I am a 'V'. Ugh! It was so awkward but at that time I don't care! His face is too close, and he did it so suddenly that all I could do is to stare at him. I'm being a total pervert because I can clearly smell his shampoo, his perfume, his breath. Oh my god. I won't even lie. I like it!

Hana-san took a shot.

One hour later, I got my 10,000. And Ryo said he'll treat me to lunch. And so we went to his favorite restaurant in Shibuya. Just when I thought everything is going on smoothly, we run into the person I least expect to come across in the entire universe!

Aomine Daiki, the tanned blue-hair cock blocker (not in the strictest sense, I'm not bashing him, ok) among Tetsu's friends, walking alone in Shibuya.

"Aominecchi!" Ryo called to him. I can't believe after all he did to him, Ryo would call him! He was even smiling!

"Geh! Why are you calling him?!" I asked him with contorted face.

"Why not?" Ryo asked. If I know better, he was happy seeing Aomine Daiki!

"Yo!" Aomine Daiki said.

"Why are you here in Shibuya?!" Ryo asked.

"I went for a check-up."

"Are you injured?!" Ryo asked suddenly concerned.

"Me? Injured?! Haha, don't joke! I actually went here to buy these." Aomine lifted a plastic bag and took out magazines. PORN MAGAZINES. He lifted them in front of me.

And then that's when he noticed me. Like finally because I was probably head to head with the magazines.

"Aren't you Seirin's manager?" He asked, still the magazines on hand. It was hypnotizing. I was really staring at the girl who wears her undies. I can't believe how big her boobs are! It was like Cup-Z!

"You went to Shibuya just to buy porn?" I asked. This, by the way, is the first sentence I said to him.

"Porn or not, it's Horikita Mai!" He explained, like that could explain everything.

"Err, right."

"Eh… so are you two dating? Not that I care." He asked coolly.

"You shouldn't have asked then." I retorted.

"What's your problem?"

I glared at him.

"Hoho! Are you still angry that your team lost?" He said smugly.

"No, that's so old news. I'm angry because…" I trailed. I was picking what reason would I give him.

a. He interfered to my (so-called) date.

b. I don't like to get involve with another Gen-M.

c. Because he is tan, he's kind of intimidating. (Not discriminating, he is really intimidating.)

**d.** All of the above

"… you were like: the only one who can beat me is me alone. It's kind of annoying!" I copied the way he usually says that line with his voice. He looked at me like I'm some kind of an idiot. And then Ryo covered my mouth.

"Hahahaha. I'm sorry, she's grumpy today. Want to grab lunch with us? My treat!"

I was wriggling against it but Ryo is holding me tightly, it was futile.

"Ok." Aomine-san said.

At the restaurant, I ordered the three of the most expensive meals on the menu. That was for me only and I wasn't even that hungry. I made Ryo sit beside me and adjacent is Aomine-san.

"Aomine-san, let me order for you, ok?" I said nicely.

"Ok, whatever." He conceded.

And then I ordered another set of the most expensive meal.

"Mayacchi, isn't that a little bit too much." Ryo said, his voice quavering.

"Hohoho, too much? No, of course not. I'm just showing how grateful I am for treating us lunch." I said smiling so angelically.

The lobster came.

"Oh, that's for you Aomine-san."

Aomine-san quivered.

"I, uhm…" He started and then cleared his throat.

"I don't like lobsters."

So what? Still smiling, I flick the table knife with my right hand's fingers like a professional assassin and then stab it in the lobster body.

"Eat it!" I ordered.

"I'm serious. I don't eat lobsters!" He said.

"But I ordered it for you."

"I don't eat lobsters." He repeated.

"It's the most expensive dish here."

"You are the one who ordered it!"

I twisted the knife inside the lobster's body.

"EAT. IT." I said more forcefully. My horns are coming out from my head.

"Why the hell are you dating this kind of girl?!" Aomine-san asked Ryota.

"We are not exactly dating…" Ryo said.

"Her boobs aren't even that huge!"

That was foul! Like Technical Foul! Offensive Foul! Foul-Out!

I took the whole lobster with my hand, jumped on him and stuffed it in his mouth. I grind the lobster in his mouth hard for about a minute so I wondered why is he even not dead yet! Ryo lifted me off Aomine-san.

"We are causing a scene, stop it!" Ryo said.

"Pwe!" Aomine-san spit the lobster. "Holy shit, she's crazy!" He told Ryo. I was growling at him like a wild animal.

"Like I said, she's grumpy." Ryo explained. "Besides Aominecchi, you shouldn't have said that."

I am really seeing Ryota in a new light. I really appreciate he is on my side.

"Ok. I'm sorry about what I said before. My bad." Aomine-san said, lifting his hands in surrender.

But because it wasn't enough, I pointed my breasts while glaring at him.

"And…" Aomine-san coughed. I bet he was blushing. But because he is dark-skinned, you cannot even see the red on his cheeks.

"You have nice boo… breasts." He finished.

"I'm suing you for sexual harassment! I've recorded it!" I accused, showing him my phone.

He looked at me incredulously and then at Ryo and then at me again!

"What the hell?!" He said.

We later on make amends for the sake of eating our foods. I made Ryo eat the other two meals I ordered (which was a lot). Aomine-san ordered his own food. And we ate in silence. After dessert, we were so full that Ryo had to excuse himself. He was probably going to throw it all up since he is a model and models are obsessively anorexic.

So there.

I was left with Aomine-san. And he is very brave to have a staring contest with me.

"So, Aomine-san. How is life treating you so far?" I asked him with a friendly tone.

"So far I am enjoying it." He answered me through his gritted teeth.

"Is that so?!"

"Yes."

And that ends our (only) peaceful conversation. I am not kidding.

Unfortunately, the thugs showed up. Thugs as in the yakuza in the amusement park! I can't believe my eyes seeing them in this kind of restaurant! And like they actually showed up today, out of all days! Talk about timing.

I saw the leader first, because he was in front, together with his five minions following him. And then he saw me. I averted my eyes hoping he will not, in any way, recognize me. But he did. Like shit! He did!

"The bitch in the amusement park!" He shouted. And all the people stared at our direction.

Totally shit. A vein sprouted in my head. And Ryota isn't coming out from the restroom yet. How long is he going to vomit?! (Assuming he is really vomiting.)

"Well, f*ck, aren't you the extremely weak son of a b*tch in the amusement park?"

"You bitch!" The yakuza leader yelled.

"No need to tell me twice." I said coolly.

The Yakuza leader looked at Aomine-san.

"Pft!" He turned at his minions. "The bitch is dating a black guy!"

Now, that was discriminating. Aomine-san is pure Japanese, he is just tan slash dark slash black.

"We are not dating!" Aomine-san and I both said.

"And watch that mouth, onii-san!" Aomine-san like a boss. Seriously. For a second he looked like a delinquent.

"Ha?! You're saying something, boy?" The minions chorused.

"Why don't we settle this outside since we are clearly disturbing the people here. I am a little bit pissed anyway." Aomine-san suggested.

He was clearly pissed with me.

That's why I am with them outside in some alley in Shibuya. Shit. I really hate scenes like this.

"Uhm, I probably should go ahead." I said modestly.

"Shut up. You were the reason why we are here in the first place!" Aomine-said. The jack-ass.

"I'm sorry, but as I recall, you were the one who invited them here!" I shouted at him annoyed.

"It's to save ourselves from embarrassment. Didn't you see how everyone stared at us?"

"So I should thank you?!"

"If you have sense to say thank you to me, then yes!"

I gaped at him. This guy! Just who does he think he is?!

"OI! STOP IGNORING US." The Yakuza leader said.

Aomine-san and I glared at him. The yakuza gang flinched.

"So what, are you going to say, the only one who could beat their asses is me?!" I sardonically said to Aomine-san. He sneered.

"Whoa, how did you know?!"

He is definitely a jackass who can brag. He took off his shirt and threw it to me. It landed on the ground with a flop. What's up with that? I have no idea! I swear! (Yes, of course, I know why, but why would I catch it?)

"YOU! AT LEAST CATCH IT! THAT IS MY FAVORITE SHIRT!" He yelled at me.

"Oh! Am I supposed to catch it?!" I feigned innocence. "I am so sorry! I don't know! I thought you were just throwing it out!"

And then I stepped on it. Intentionally. Aomine-san glared at me.

"I'm sorry I did not see it!" I said as I picked his damn favorite shirt up. And then I crumpled it.

"DON'T IGNORE US!" The minions attacked.

But Aomine-san unfortunately isn't just a whacko in basketball; he is also a whacko at everything else. Like for example, him, throwing punches at the yakuza minions while laughing like *Lelouch. He is the one who is nuts here. He was running and jumping at the walls like he has some kind of superpowers or something!

After three minutes, it was finished.

"Whoa!" I said in amazement.

And then Aomine-san turned and started to walk towards me. I gave him his favorite shirt but he ignored it and started hugging me. To be more detailed, he put his hands at the small of my back and pushed me toward him. And Aomine-san is shirtless. And he doesn't smell bad at all. And he was kind of sweaty. And he was kind of hot. At a closer look, he doesn't look bad either.

Oh my god! What am I even thinking!?

"What the?! What are you doing." I said freaking out. But he started touching my butt. And I kind of like it too.

SSSSSSSSSSSHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IITTTTTTTTTTTTT! What is happening to me! This is because of my period, isn't it?!

"Aomine-san! Please! No matter how sexually frustrated you are, control yourself! We just got in high school! You shouldn't succumb to lustful temptations!" I said pretending to be of clear mind.

And then the next thing I knew he pushed me away (NOOOO!) and he was laughing. In his hand was my phone.

"What are you talking about?! I was aiming for this!" He said. And then he looked at my phone and stared at it.

"How do you use this!?" He twisted and turned my phone until he finally gave up, and then he threw it on the ground. Because he was so strong, my phone shattered into pieces.

"There, no more evidence! You cannot sue me now!" He said, oh, so mightily.

Forget the lust part. Forget everything else! Who the f*ck in his right mind would destroy the phone of a person he just met! Tell me who?! Like f*ck! That was an iPhone! God! He is a f*ck*ng moron! So all this time he was worrying about that?!

"WAAHHH! MY PHONE! I WAS JUST JOKING ABOUT THE SUING, YOU BASTARD!" I said completely shocked, picking up the pieces of my phone.

"You should have said that first!" He said coyly. He doesn't even look guilty about it.

"MY PHONE! YOU DESTROYED MY PHONE!" I was already yelling and crying. My mom is going to kill me. Seriously.

"I'm going to buy you another, ok?" He consoled.

He is so stupid!

"Buy me another one?! Don't you know how much is this?!"

"No. But cellphones don't cost that much." He said ignorantly.

"Are you stupid?!" Ah, I finally said it. "What century are you in?! This is an iPhone! It cost as much as your porn collections!"

He did the calculations and there was a thunder in his background. "One million yen?!"

Now, it thunders on my background. "Just how many porn stuff do you have?! No! It's 28,000 yen!"

There came the infamous great pause between us.

Aomine-san took his t-shirt and slowly put it on. "Oh, I think it's about time to go home!"

I kicked his groin. He went to his knees. "I… I was… joking!" He said in pain while holding the other Aomine.

That's when Ryota finally came.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. Aomine-san bought me a phone that same day - an iPhone5 – on his parent's credit. I gave him my 5,000 yen to compensate the (unconscionable) difference.

My god! I wanted the phone so much and I finally have it. Awesome! WAHAHAHHA! At least even just for a moment, Aomine-san made me happy. Ok. I technically extorted from him, but he doesn't seem to realize that, so I think its ok. Not ok, really. But who cares. Its iPhone5!


	14. The Perks of Tetsuya Number 2

**It took me awhile! So many things happened but God is good:) Hehe!  
**

**Thank you for liking Maya. If you have any questions you would like to ask her, don't be afraid to comment/review. Its for an omake chapter, LOL.  
**

**Thank you for reading. :) Hmm. Not so funny chapter, but I just have to introduce #2!  
**

***Lion King  
**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

**_August 18_  
**

Dear Friend,

I don't get Japanese people. Why would they abandon an Alaskan Malamute puppy in the park when a breed like that roughly costs $1000!?

It was during our practice when Tetsu brought the dog. It isn't school yet and the boys were practicing, and because I am the manager I have to be present. I always have to be present. Ugh. God, they practice too much! Anyway, I have to be early this time because yesterday, I woke up so late (I finished the Gurren Lagann series which was awesome), that Aida-sempai got mad. You never want to see or even hear her mad! She's like my Mom! Jeez! She was supposed to punish me today but I just like to point out that I was watching anime because I mean, we are TECHNICALLY still on summer BREAK!

So anyway, Tetsu brought the puppy and I squealed because it was overloading with Cuteness Level over 9000! And trust me when I say it is a pure breed. Like I said before, I am good with animals, so I know that at least.

"Kyaa! Where did you get it?" I asked Tetsu.

"In the park along our school." Tetsu answered.

That is so anime! I wish i could encounter something in the park too!

I took the puppy (it's male, BTW) from the box and looked at him in the eyes. And then the puppy licked my hands. I fell in love with him that instant!

"Ahahahaha!" I laughed liked a happy _ojou-sama_. I lifted the puppy in the air and I twirled around with the lovey-dovey aura around us!

"Ah, she loves the dog already!" The sempais sighed.

I returned the dog to Tetsu.

"Can we keep him? He can be the Seirin's mascot or something. That would be so cool!" I said excitedly.

"We haven't decided what to do with it yet." Hyuuga-sempai reminded me. I pouted at him.

"Are you sure he was abandoned? No owner. Not lost or anything." I asked Tetsu.

"Yes." Tetsu said.

"See?! I mean look at him!" I indicated the puppy with my hands.

"What's wrong with Japanese people?! How can they abandon him?!" I complained.

"You're forgetting that we are Japanese too, Maya." The sempais said.

"Ok, except you guys." I said.

"That's still wrong!" They said to me.

"Like I said, we haven't decided what to do with it yet!" Hyuuga-sempai repeated.

I turned to Teppei-nii for back-up. He is useful in these kind of situations. I mean, hello, the one I call _onii-chan_ is the Founder. "Onii-chan, can we keep him?!"

"Hahaha! Please listen to Hyuuga-kun, Maya-chan. He is the captain. But if I am the captain, we would keep it!" Teppei-nii said.

"Oi! Oi! That's called pressuring!" Hyuuga-sempai said.

The puppy then climbed at the top of Tetsu's head and started wagging his tail.

"Wai! He likes you! Maybe you should take care of him?" I said to Tetsu.

And then Tetsu suddenly sweated - tremendously. Like the water totally gushed out from his head. And it was yellow-orange. Obviously, it's not sweat, and you DON'T want to know what it is. Its gross.

"Or maybe not!" I retracted.

"KUROKO! THE DOG IS PEEING ON YOU!" Koga-sempai screamed.

"Oops, sorry, the doggie is peeing on me!" Tetsu said the obvious. The idiot.

"We can clearly see that! Go to the shower room! Don't come back until you bathe!" We told him.

When Tetsu was already clean (and doesn't smell anymore), we all circled around him and the puppy.

"So? What's the decision?" I asked.

"It's not a sin to ignore it along the road, but once we've taken it in, it's bad to turn away." Hyuuga-sempai said rationally.

We stared at the puppy. And it's so cute! How can they not see that! I can't believe they are having second thoughts to take him in. Uhg. Really! Boys.

"Hey everyone, don't you think the puppy looks like…" Izuki-sempai suddenly said.

We looked and then started comparing, from the dog to Tetsu.

"It's Kuroko!" The boys said awed. I laughed.

It's really Tetsu! Their eyes are so similar! If Tetsu ever turns into a dog, he'll look like the puppy! Their eye-color is the same. It's so cool!

"Aww! You're meant to meet!" I squealed.

"Okay doggie! From now on you are Tetsuya #2!" Koga-sempai declared! It's '_Tetsuya Ni-go_'.

"Why Tetsuya #2?!" I asked. I don't like Koganei-sempai's naming sense.

"Well, isn't it obvious? He looks like Kuroko!" He said to me.

"What about Ninja #2?" I suggested. Yes, I know, mine wasn't good either!

"No! It's Tetsuya #2!"

"Ninja Tetsu?!" I said.

"Blacky." Fukuda-san said.

"Kagero!" Tsuchida-sempai said.

"Kagemusha!" Kawahara-san said.

"Shining Heart Tetsu." Teppei-nii suggested.

"Or Black Shadow." Furihata-san said.

"Oohh! Nice one!" I said to Furihata-san.

"Tetsuya #2" Koga-sempai reiterated.

"Nin-nin?!" I suggested again.

"What's with you and ninjas?!" Koganei-sempai asked me exasperatedly.

"Just because!" I said.

"Stop arguing about the name! Or rather, don't give it a name at all! Now we cannot turn it back anymore!" Hyuuga-sempai cried.

I kneeled in front of Hyuuga-sempai with desperation.

"WHY DON'T YOU LIKE HIM! WHAT DID HE EVER DO TO YOU!" I wailed like a drama queen.

"It's not that I don't like him. Please stop making me the bad person here, Maya!" Hyuuga-sempai said cringing.

"I've been meaning to ask, but what are you doing there Kagami?" Teppei-nii said. And we all looked at where Taiga was (he was there with us from the very beginning), crouching in the corner of the gym, trembling in fear.

"Ah, no, well…" His voice quaked. "I have a problem with dogs."

"WHAT?! Tiger don't succumb to little dogs like this one!" The sempais told him.

"I never said I am a tiger!" Taiga defended.

"Kagami-kun! Please don't say that!" Tetsu said. And then he brought Tetsuya #2 in front of Taiga. The puppy was so close to his face that Taiga screamed and ran. Still holding Tetsuya #2, Tetsu ran after him.

"Stay away from me! Stop it! Damn it Kuroko! I'll kill you afterwards!" Taiga shouted.

Now that I know, what am I doing, you asked?! Well, Hallelujah was being sung in my background and I was snickering evilly. Such irony. I know!

"Bwuhahahahahaha!" I snickered. A LOT of plans are forming inside my head. I never expected Taiga will be afraid of dogs! I mean, who would have thought!? He is afraid of dogs!

"Bwahahahahahahahahahaha!" I snickered again. I was crunching my fingers in front of me like a total villain.

"Maya-san, you're being scary again!" Furihata-san said.

"Ah ha, she's the only one who is happy with this." Izuki-sempai said.

"Somehow, I feel bad for Kagami." Koganei-sempai said.

"You're not the only one." The other boys said.

"'Morning everyone!" Aida-sempai appeared.

I quickly took Nigo from Tetsu and then genuflected in front of Aida-sempai. I raised him to her, like how *Rafiki raised Simba's daughter to the spirits.

"Your Highness, I am presenting to you Tetsuya Number 2!" I said majestically as trumpets play in the background.

If you haven't noticed it yet, Seirin Basketball Club operates in a matriarchal set-up so if anything else, the one who decides is the oldest (she's going to kill me if she read this!) and powerful female in the group – Aida-sempai. This of course is only my unconfirmed theory but it's already so obvious, I don't think it needs confirmation or anything.

"A puppy?! Why did you bring it here in the sports gym?!" She asked.

"Tetsu brought him here!" I said.

''And?" Aida-sempai pressed.

"He wanted to keep it?" I offered.

"That's dirty Maya-san! You are the one who wanted to keep him the most." Tetsu said.

"But you wanted him too!" I retorted.

Aida-sempai was just staring at the puppy. And then, just to make this quick, I said to Nigo to make the ever heart-wrenching soulful eyes, which he did immediately (smart puppy!). I really wanted to have him then. Aida-sempai took him to cuddle.

And that's how we got to keep him! Or not, since Taiga is against it!

"We can't keep… AWCKKK!" Taiga said. I kicked him in the face before he can finish his sentence.

"What the hell Maya!" He cried at me as he rubs his cheek.

"How can you do this?!" I asked.

"We are a basketball club not a pet center!" Taiga said. Damn, he got right!

"But, how can you say no to him!" I pointed Nigo. He is already in Tetsu's arms.

"You want to abandon the puppy for the second time?!" Tetsu asked him.

"Tell him Tetsu! Tell him how heartless he is!" I goad.

"Shut up!" Taiga said to me.

"And stop looking at me with those identical eyes! Uhhkk!" Taiga said to Tetsu and Nigo.

"I think it's really bad for us to keep it, huh." Aida-sempai said.

"But you said…" I argued.

"I see…" Tetsu said.

I don't see. WTH!

"Can we keep it if we manage to convince Kagami-kun?" Tetsu asked her.

Now I see. Nice.

"I'll give you one day, and it should not get in the way of practice." Aida-sempai said.

"Ok, Taiga, just say yes!" I ordered him.

"When I say I can't, I can't!" Taiga yelled.

He is a stubborn idiot. Eish!

I pulled Tetsu in the corner so we could plan our attack. I suggested a lot of things that could make Taiga say yes. And you know what Tetsu said?! He said: NO. Like deadpan no! Tetsu outrightly rejected ALL of my plans! He said all of them were too violent. I agree most of them were violent, I mean, I said, if all else fails, we'll make Nigo bite him in the head or something. But when he said re-enacting Taiga's trauma was too violent… is he serious?! I was thinking it could actually cure him with his fear, you know!

"What else can we do?! The dead line is on or before the practice ends today!" I said.

"Let me do this." Tetsu said. And he was really determined, mind you. Even though you can't see it in his face, you can hear it by the way he said it.

"Ok, fine. Just make sure he accepts Nigo."

Tetsu nodded.

And just when everything was settled, Aida-sempai called me.

"Ah, Maya, you clean the club room." She ordered.

"Eh, why?!" I cried.

"Oh, have you forgotten how late you were yesterday?" She said this with her eyes getting dark. I shuddered. I really forgot about the punishment!

"But Aida-sempai…"

Before anything else, let me tell you that Seirin's clubroom is a mess (and smelly) for the sole reason that the ones using it are all boys. Please don't be deceived by how they look! No matter what happens, they will always be boys. So that is the worst punishment ever.

"And the lockers too, Maya." Aida-sempai added.

Really, the worst punishment ever! And I don't really like cleaning!

"What if I say I don't want to?!" I bravely asked as I took a ready-to-fight stance. But my knees are really shaking. The boys 'ohhed' followed by a complete silence.

And then suddenly:

KABLAG!

I was already facing the floor and my bones are cracking. I am not joking! Like 'CRAAAAAAAACKK!' **5x**! It happened so fast and I didn't even noticed that Aida-sempai already subjected me to THE BOSTON CRAB HOLD! I was wrong about the clubroom! The Boston Crab Hold is the worst punishment in the whole universe! My god! It could cripple me!

"WOHHH! THE BOSTON CRAB HOLD!" The boys shouted.

"CRAAACKKK!" That was my backbone.

"Aida-sempai, I'm sorry! I will clean the clubroom! Make it dust-free and sparkly!" I actually pleaded, pounding the floor with my hands as a form of surrender because my body is already bended backward to its maximum!

"Fufu! Good!" Aida-sempai said as she released me. She is scarier than my mother!

The boys went for a jog. Tetsu brought Nigo along so he could get acquainted with Taiga. And I am stuck cleaning with all my bones aching. Its hard, I tell you. And the clubroom, jeez, it's as worse as that of the rugby club! I was still cleaning when the boys finished running and came back to the clubroom. They started changing their sneakers into indoor shoes to proceed with the gym training. The process was a total chaos! They clumsily took out their shoes and just dump it somewhere! And because I am still cleaning, I growled at them!

"_Kora_! Get your shoes off properly!"

"Huh?" They all said at me as if they weren't doing anything wrong. It is so aggravating!

"Get your fucking shoes off properly!" I repeated demon eyes, raising a mop with my hands.

They all shuddered and started fixing their shoes.

Like I said.

Matriarchal set-up. HEHEHE.

After a few minutes, Nigo, like Tetsu, just appeared with a bark in the clubroom which shocked the crap out of me. He already acquired Tetsu's ability!

"Nigo! Don't do that again!" I reprimanded him and he was wagging his tail.

"Why are you here? Are you here to accompany me?! You are a good dog! I mean, who could clean this messy place?! It would probably take me a whole day!" I complained.

To Nigo.

A dog.

And then I started explaining to him the do's and don'ts of a dog during the basketball club activities. If he wants to be adopted, he should at least show he is a smart and good dog. And he was wagging his tail. I hope he understand though.

Halfway through my cleaning, Nigo peed in the corner of the lockers. And I cleaned that place already! I screamed.

"No, no! If you're going to pee, you pee outside!" I said to the dog. He stuck his tongue out and started panting.

I was looking for a piece of cloth to wipe out the urine when I saw Nigo started to walk around in circles sniffing from here to there. If you had a puppy before, you know what it means! I panic when he squatted. Grabbing anything to prevent his smelly poop to land on the (already) cleaned floor, I theatrically jumped to where he is, like a baseball player sliding to a base. The thing (a shoe to be exact) I was holding caught the dreadful thing. Like safe! I even wiped my forehead when I stood up only to realize that the shoe I used was Taiga's!

Oh shit!

"Ohmygawd!" I screamed, Edvard Munch's version.

Now Taiga will never say yes! And it seriously stinks! Puppy-poop stinks! I can't bring myself to clean that! I carefully put it where it was before and pretended that never happened. Like seriously.

And I was sweating with guilt already!

Because I can never get angry with Nigo for pooping and because it will be my fault if Taiga say no (definitely will say no), I depressingly gave him back to Tetsu.

"Why are you trembling?" Tetsu asked me.

I sighed as I looked away, still trembling. "Please make sure Taiga says yes before the practice ends. And don't let him come to the clubroom."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing happened." I said.

"I don't believe you!" Tetsu said. I grabbed his shoulders then and looked him in the eyes.

"Just make Taiga say yes ASAP!"

"Err, ok…"

Tetsu was sure persistent. He made sure whenever Taiga's eyes are, he sees Nigo. It was kind of funny if you watch what was happening with clear conscience. But since I was so obsessed to make sure Taiga doesn't go to the clubroom, I couldn't care less.

And then the day was almost about to end and he still hadn't said 'yes'. And Taiga was walking back to the clubroom. As guilty as I am, I grabbed him from the back to stop him. I could have nearly squeezed the life out of him if he was a normal person because I grabbed him as tight as I could, but since he is not a normal person, it probably felt like a normal hug from behind.

"What are you doing?!" Taiga said surprised.

"You can't go to the clubroom!"

"Why?!"

"Because you didn't take a bath yet! I just cleaned the room!" I reasoned.

"Why am I the only one you are stopping?!" He was wiggling so hard, it almost took everything I had to hold on. And then he started walking and I was being dragged! Why is he so freaking strong!

"Oi, oi! If you want to make out, do it outside!" Izuki-sempai teased.

"That's not it!" Taiga said.

I was concentrating on stopping him with friction, but it was futile. To make the long story short, he saw the poop on his shoe.

"WE CAN'T KEEP IT!" He screamed like a tiger. He was so angry!

"Maya, you knew it pooped on my sneaks!" He accused.

I looked away. "I don't." I lied.

"We can't keep it!" He repeated and walked out the gym.

Tetsu suddenly appeared beside me.

"You knew it pooped on Kagami-kun's shoe." He stated calmly.

"But it was an accident!" I sobbed and then I held Tetsu's arm like a child and then pleaded.

"I want to keep Nigo! Tetsu…"

Tetsu sighed and took Nigo. "I'm going to talk to Kagami-kun again. Ok?"

I nodded.

A few moments later Taiga and Nigo are in good terms already. It turned out that the shoe has a gash in it and the poop saved him from accidents that might happen. Tetsu might have work a magic on them!

Seirin Basketball Club officially now have a mascot. Yay!

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. My bones are still aching! Like all the 206 bones I have!


	15. The Perks of Himuro Tatsuya

**Official Romance? Yes there is, definitely! The only problem is with whom?! Since Maya haven't met all the GoM yet, I can't decide her would-be-partner. Hehe. **

**Any suggestions?**

**Then again, if it's a HAREM then I want to be Maya! (I know you want to be her too) Fufufu~~**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

_**August 28**_

Dear Friend,

Just because I am a glasses fetishist doesn't mean I would end up with someone with glasses. That is so not true. Although the probability is high, there is a chance that I would end up with someone with, for example, a **mole** under his right eye.

Hehehe.

Damn.

I am actually smiling while writing this. Ok. Let me correct myself. I am GIGGLING while writing this!

Can you believe it! I like Taiga's brother!

Like_ (V. Tr.)_ As in I-WANT-YOU-TO-BE-MY-BOYFRIEND-LIKE.

Even though I said the last thing on my mind is to get a boyfriend. But of course, who knew I would find him that early – which would make the entire I-want-you-to-be-my-bf drama an exception.

Ok. Let me explain. He's not Taiga's biological brother. Taiga is the only child, as far as I know. He is actually Taiga's childhood friend, and you know how boys are with their brotherhood bond thing. It's like that! His name is Tatsuya Himuro. He is tall. He has slick, black hair that covers his left eye like an Emo, which would be a turn-off, except he totally looks cool with that. Although he is not on The Gorgeousness Level of Ryota Kise, Tatsuya Himuro is good-looking nonetheless.

Waaahhh! I'm blushing WHILE writing this.

I met him in the street basketball competition that we joined today. Furihata-san, Kawahara-san and Fukuda-san invited us to play. Actually, they only invited Taiga and Tetsu (they didn't bother to invite me since I don't know how to play basketball, and they don't really need someone like that). Fortunately, Kawahara-san acquired a flu last night (yes, I am VERY HAPPY he got a flu) and Furihata-san called me if I know someone who plays basketball because they lack one person. I said I can bring someone only if they would let me come.

And so there. I came with Teppei-nii.

"Why are you here?!" Taiga screamed when he saw us. He doesn't know we are coming with them so he was really surprised.

"Why not?" Teppei-nii asked him.

"What I mean is where's Kawahara?" Taiga clarified.

"He is down with the flu." Fukuda-san informed.

"Eh, I understand why Kiyoshi is here, but why are _you_ here?" Taiga asked me.

"Oh, I'm your _groupie_!" I said sardonically while smiling at him.

"We don't really need a groupie." He said flatly.

I wanted to come with them and support them and then he would just say to me to go home?! (That's what I heard he said). The nerve! So me, being me, with veins popping out my head, jumped to him causing my head to hit his chin very VERY hard. He cried and stumbled backwards.

"That hurts!" He complained.

"You should thank me for getting you another player!" I said as I kicked his sheens.

"Ow! Stop that! You're getting more and more violent Maya!"

"And whose fault do you think it is?!"

"You can cheer for us Maya-san!" Tetsu said.

I went to where he is and held his hands and took them closer to me as I cry. "I'm glad you're here Tetsu! You're the only one who wants me here!"

"You kiss-ass!" Taiga accused Tetsu, pointing him with his index finger.

"Kagami-kun, you never learn do you?" Tetsu sighed as he looked the other way.

"I don't want to hear that from you!" Taiga yelled.

"Hahaha! Anyway. Just relax and enjoy!" Teppei-nii said to pacify us.

"Before anything else, let's register for the tournament first." Fukuda-san suggested.

We lined-up to register in the near-by booth, and there, we saw Shining Head and his team – Seihou High. Since the competition will start at 1:00 pm, we ate lunch with them - picnic-style. Anyway, I'm not really interested with them. It's sad that they couldn't play in the Winter Cup but that's life. Some will and some will not. And Shining Head is still annoying as ever!

And then Tetsu noticed Taiga's ring which he made into a necklace.

"You've been fiddling with your ring. I've noticed you keep it with you at all times." Tetsu commented.

"Really? It's the first time I saw him wearing that!" I said. Honestly, it's the first time I saw Taiga with an accessory. It's either I'm not looking at him enough (apparently Tetsu does) or I'm just too indifferent to notice. And then I chuckled.

"That's too tacky for you!" I said to Taiga.

"It's an important gift to me!" Taiga said.

"From your girlfriend?" I asked.

"It's from someone I played basketball with."

"Hehehe. So it's from your girlfriend." I said naughtily.

"Seriously, Maya. That someone is a 'he'."

"Oohh! From your _boy_friend then."

Taiga and Tetsu scowled at me. I smiled at them sheepishly.

"Ok, I'm sorry. Please continue." I said.

"So, you two must be really close." Tetsu stated.

"Well, you could say that. He's someone whom I want to play against once more, but never had the chance." Taiga said wistfully looking at the sky while the wind blows at us melancholically.

Since he looks so serious and he looks _kakkoi _I can't do anything goofy. I mean, how am I supposed to respond to that?! I think the same goes for Tetsu (but then he never acted silly before so I am not sure).

Taiga, being a glutton, bought more foods to eat so we ended up late for the first match of the street basketball tournament. There's a commotion amongst the crowd then, and we found out that Seihou lost: 31-52. This is a shock because I mean, the guys weren't exactly weak. I can't really see what's going on though since most of the people in front of me were too tall i.e. translate to: I am a MIDGET (ugh!).

"Why... Why is he here?" Taiga said shocked.

"Who?!" I asked.

"Tatsuya Himuro!" Taiga said too loudly for everyone to hear.

And then the crowd parted like the Red Sea and at the end was Tatsuya Himuro. He was wearing the same ring as Taiga's on his neck. While Taiga was too shocked to see this person, I, on the other hand, was a bit surprised.

I believe this only happens in fiction, but I guess I was wrong.

The moment I saw him, cherry blossom petals (even though there's no cherry blossom trees in the vicinity) swirled in the air around just the two of us. Spotlights were focused on us as if we were the only people in the world. My heart started beating too fast and it's too much for me to bear. And then a romantic song was being played in the background. I AM NOT KIDDING. This really happened!

"Taiga?! I never expected to see you here. What a surprise!" He said in English. Even his voice was like velvet to my ears.

I'm not stupid to not realize it. I mean it just happens and you know what it is. Love might be too deep to describe it, so I'll stick with infatuation – at first sight.

Or lust.

I mean, my hormones must be too attracted to his pheromones or something! But the point is I know I really like him!

"You don't look surprised at all." Taiga said.

"Are you Kagami's friend?" Teppei-nii asked Tatsuya Himuro.

"I am not really his friend; I'd say I am his big brother." Tatsuya Himuro said.

Oh, great. Just great.

"Ta…Taiga's bro .. brother?" I squeaked.

"Yeah…" Taiga confirmed.

Tatsuya Himuro looked at me and I swear all my blood went up to my brain. I can't concentrate on anything but him at all! I am blushing like crazy! And then I noticed the mole under his eye and it's so turning me on. Damm'it!

"We grew up together back in Los Angeles." He said to me. To me. He was talking to me. Like, oh my god!

"Oh… is.. is… ish t..that so?" I stuttered like an idiot.

Taiga raised his twin eyebrow at me. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?! I like your brother, you idiot!" Is what I wanted to say but my tongue got stunned for some reason.

"Is she your girlfriend Taiga?" Tatsuya-kun (yes, I decided to call him that by myself) asked.

"Definitely not!" Taiga immediately denied.

"I.. I am Ma..ma..Ma..shhhhhhh….." That came out as a whisper. My brain is malfunctioning.

I'm being a complete retard in front of him but I can't help it. This sucks.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that…" He said. Like I said - velvet.

And it's enough to make the Spirit of Cupid to possess me.

And I practically SHRIEKED.

"MY NAME IS MAYA AND I AM GOING TO BE THE MOTHER OF YOUR FUTURE CHILDREN!"

Oh yes. I shrieked.

Oh yes. I said that!

Shit! I wanted to die at that moment!

"Why make it future when we could make it a present." Was my Tatsuya-kun's reply. He was joking but at that time I don't care. All the blood that went to my head came out in my nose. Imagine how much blood that is! I died.

"WHAT are you saying?! Don't say that with a poker face!" Taiga yelled at him.

"I'm so sorry but this is just the way I am." He said as he smiled.

"Okay!" I said as I ran to Tatsuya-kun, removing my jacket.

Suddenly a (super) big hand grabbed my head and stopped me. Its Taiga's infamous head-grabbing.

"Oh, it's been a while!" I said to Taiga's (super) big hand.

"Where do you think you are going?!" Taiga said.

"Err, to make a babe…" Taiga's hand grabbed my head tighter. "…ey." My soul went out from my body.

"He is kidding! Right, Tatsuya?" He said.

"Anyway Taiga, I think today is the best time to fulfill our promise." Tatsuya instead said.

"Ah, he didn't answer." Teppei-nii remarked.

"Yes, he didn't!" The boys agreed.

And then Taiga got cold feet or something and Tetsu told him something. I can't hear anything because I'm still high with the love drug. And Taiga was holding my head, so I am concentrating on that because he might crush my skull!

"Then face me like how you'd face the strongest player Tatsuya!" Taiga said with a new resolve because of what Tetsu said. So cheesy.

"Then I'm sure we'll enjoy this." Tatsuya-kun said.

And then he walked away while we looked. His hair was flowing in the wind, it was so epic.

He is so cool.

"Taiga, can you please release me now? I'm dying." I said to Taiga, but his eyes got dark on me.

"Did you just hit on him?!" He asked me.

"That wasn't entirely me, you know!" I looked away. He released my pitiful head then.

"You are really something!" He said.

"I hope that was a compliment!"

Anyway, as expected, the final match was Seirin's team and **my** Tatsuya-kun's team. It didn't commence though because someone interrupted. Another one of Tetsu's friend from the Gen-M came. He has violet shoulder-length hair and he was so tall that my neck hurts just looking at his face.

And then he ruffled Tetsu's hair with his (mega) large hand. Tetsu swatted the Gen-M's hand away.

"You can't do that to Tetsu!" I yelled at the new Gen-M.

"Why can't I?! I'm just teasing Kurochin" He said.

"You're hands are dirty!"

"It's not!" He denied like a stubborn child.

"Yes it is! You are using that to eat!"

"Because my hands are not dirty!"

"But you can't ruffle his hair! It has crumbs all over! Give me your hands!"

He laid out his (mega) large hands to me. Its like Taiga's hands times 2! And then I took out an alcohol from my bag, put some on him and on my hands and then rubbed it together. He followed my example. Then I ruffled Tetsu's hair. It's too soft for its own good.

"Wah! Tetsu, your hair's so soft." I said ruffling his hair. Getting all _fuwa-fuwa_ eyed.

Tetsu pinched both my cheeks.

"What are you doing Maya-san?"

"I'm sorry. I'm teaching him how to do it properly."

"No, please. Don't give Murasakibara-kun any weird ideas. He's basically a child with screw loose when he's not playing basketball."

"Ohh, so your name is Musarabara." I said.

"It's Murasakibara." Tetsu corrected.

"Murasikabara-san." I attempted.

And again, and again.

"My name is Murasakibara Atsushi." He finally said.

I swear! I can't pronounce his name correctly no matter how many times I tried! It's too long; my tongue is getting tied just by saying it! He's by-far the longest surname I have ever heard, like ever! After an awkward pause:

"Ok, _Musashi_, you must clean your hands first before touching other people. It's called etiquette!" I stated.

"I'm not Musashi." Musashi said.

"I want to call you Musashi." I lied.

"No, just say you can't pronounce his name properly." Taiga said.

"Ohoho, let's see if you can say his name properly then!" I challenged him. Taiga smirked at me.

"Murasakibara-san!" He said proudly.

"Tch! Show-off!"

Apparently Musashi and Tatsuya-kun are from the same school, the Yosen High. Since it's against the school rules to perform in any outside competitions, Musashi pushed Tatsuya-kun to leave the venue.

"Stop where you are!" Taiga called to them.

"Yeah! Don't take my Tatsuya away from me." I said.

"You're still going on with that?!" Taiga said, rubbing his knuckles on my head. You could see smoke from my head!

"Hm, let's not talk about that. What's wrong with your eyebrows?" Musashi said to Taiga, and then plucked some of it.

He plucked Taiga's eyebrows!

"Ouch!" Taiga cried, as he released me from his knuckle-grinding.

"Pfwahahahahahahhah!" I laughed so hard I almost dropped on the floor!

Musashi walked away to leave, but Taiga, like I said, has some issues.

"What a disappointment. I never expected you to run away from this. You are such a coward!" Taiga taunted.

Musashi then turned to us, his face (mega) scary.

"I wasn't running away!" Musashi said pissed.

In the end, they played. Boys are really simple creatures! Anyway. The first score was from Teppei-nii. The next came from my Tatsuya-kun - and he was so beautiful~. Like, when he took a motion shot (I don't really understand) it was really perfect and beautiful. He was so graceful playing basketball!

And then it rained and the match was cancelled. Too bad. I really wanted to see Tatsuya-kun play more. The boys talked about facing each other in the winter cup. They are really basketball addicts! I'm starting to wonder if they have other things in their mind aside basketball.

And that was it. I haven't had the chance to say good-bye to him at all!

We went back to Seirin because Aida-sempai said so.

Just when I thought this day is too perfect, she came to spoil it! It's not Aida-sempai. It's Momoi Satsuki. Yes, she's apparently there! The Spy Woman! The moment we entered the gym, Momoi-san immediately grabbed Tetsu for a hug! My blood pressure rose up to its highest again.

"What should I do?!" She started crying.

Eish.

"I think Aomine-kun hates me now!" Momoi-san wailed. It was really annoying. She was already crying, but she still looks pretty. But when I cry, I look like a frowning gorilla.

And then she proceeded to explain. She said Aomine-kun was absent from the Inter-High's semi-final and final match. Unfortunately, he injured his knees. And then I remembered the first time I met him in Shibuya. He was talking about the check-up or something. That liar. He said he went there to buy porn! Momoi-san keep going on that she told their coach about his injury and then Aomine-san found out. Aomine-san became angry with her and called her ugly, while she called him grotesque. Obviously she came crying because the two of them had a lovers' quarrel.

"I've been wanting to say, but you said you love Kuroko, right?! What are you doing here whining about Aomine hating you?" Taiga said.

I would have hugged him then except that he stopped me.

"What is it this time?"

"Taiga, I know you will understand! She is obviously two-timing!" I said.

"No, I didn't mean it like that." Taiga said.

And then Momoi-san cried again.

"You've got it wrong! Aomine-kun is different from Tetsu-kun. He gets up with all sorts of trouble whenever I leave him alone!"

"Eh! What? Wait! I'm sorry!" Taiga said.

"Kagami you just made a girl cry!" The boys said.

"Kagami-kun, you should have dealt with this more delicately." Tetsu-said.

"Eh? Why am I being lectured? Maya's the one who said something bad." He said.

I was shaking my head. "You made her cry, tch, tch. Bad!" I said.

"WHAT!?" Taiga yelled.

And then Tetsu patted Momoi-san's head. Because I was being nice today I let them be. Instead, I gave all the negative energy I was feeling to Taiga. I punched him on his side a lot of times.

"Aww! The hell!" Taiga cried flinching.

"Aomine-kun said things he didn't mean out of anger. There's no way he'd ever hate you. Let's go back I'm sure Aomine-kun is out there looking for you now." Tetsu said.

"…Tetsu-kun…"

And then they were off. I stopped punching Taiga after seeing that. I just don't know what to feel. I mean, I know I get work up with Tetsu whenever she's around but my heart, this time, for some reason became heavy. Heavy as in like a burden or something. So, I walked out the gym.

Hmm.

The one I like is Tatsuya Himuro.

I just wanted to write that again.

"Oi, where are you going?!" Taiga asked me.

"To the clubroom." I said.

I did go to the clubroom. I took my phone and asked Ryo to send me Aomine's number. He replied immediately with the usual emoticons. Ryo asked why I need Aomine's number and I said I am going to bully him.

Which is the truth.

I flooded Aomine-san's with messages that say the same thing: _Aomine Daiki no baka_. I basically touched the send button a hundred slash thousands of times.

A number called me a few minutes later.

"What the fuck is your problem, Maya!" Aomine Daiki screamed at the other line.

"Wo! How do you know it's me?!"

"Kise tipped me off!" He was still screaming.

"That traitor!" I hissed.

"You are harassing me with the phone I BOUGHT you!"

"Ha! Of course not! Idiot!"

"Don't call me idiot!"

"A guy who calls girls ugly is an idiot, idiot?!"

"What are you saying?!"

"Oh god! You really are stupid! You called Momoi-san ugly and she came crying here!"

"Why did she go there?!"

"To cry in front of Tetsu!"

"HA? What's that got to do with me?!"

"What's that got to do with you?! … Everything!" I shouted.

"WHY ARE YOU ANGRY?! STOP SENDING ME MAILS!"

"Where are you?!" I asked.

"Why are you asking?!"

"Are you searching for Momoi?!"

"Well…"

"Make sure you apologize you idiot! You are so selfish! Just because you couldn't play!"

"Wha…"

"Find her now and apologize!"

"Who are you to say…"

I pressed the end call button.

A few seconds later. Aomine-san called again.

"Who are you to say that to me?"

"The only one who could say that to you is me." I said.

"Don't use my line!" Aomine-san cried on the other line.

"Did you find her already?"

"No, but I…"

"APOLOGIZE! Make sure she's never going here again crying!"

"That's not my fault…"

"Please don't argue."

"I am not!"

"JUST APOLOGIZE!"

"UGH!"

This time he's the one who cut the line.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. While I'm writing this I was texting Taiga to tell me more about Tatsuya Himuro but he said no. It's like 23:25 now. The following are excerpt of our text messages.

Me: Taiga, are you there?

_BaKa_gami Taiga: Whatever it is, my answer is no.

Me: Wah! You don't know what I'm going to ask yet!

_BaKa_gami Taiga: See! You are going to ask!

Me: How old is Tatsuya?

_BaKa_gami Taiga: Why are you asking about him?

Me: Just answer!

_BaKa_gami Taiga: He's 17! Now, please go to sleep.

Me: Do you have his phone number?

_BaKa_gami Taiga: No, I don't.

Me: STINGY! STINGY! STINGY! I HOPE YOU HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT DOGS! LIKE THE HELL HOUNDS!

_BaKa_gami Taiga: GO TO SLEEP!

Me: Are you finished with all our homework?

_BaKa_gami Taiga: Oh, shit! I forgot!

Me: WAHAHAHAHAH! I'm not going to let you copy mine! O.o

_BaKa_gami Taiga: YOU!

_BaKa_gami Taiga: Tatsuya already has a girlfriend! Hahaha! :P

Me: I don't believe you!

Me: For real?!

Me: Taiga! Are you serious?

Me: Taiga!

Me: I'll let you copy my homework!

_BaKa_gami Taiga: I saved this conversation. Yes, I'm joking. He doesn't have a girlfriend. Do you really like him?! That's… I thought you like old men?!

Me: a$$ hole.


	16. The Perks of Shinda Toru

**This is kind-of rushed since I'm busy again. Hmm. Sorry. I hope you all understand the story. hehe  
**

**Anyway, this chapter and the next one are dedicated to all our friends who makes us do stupid and embarassing things but we still love them anyway.  
**

**Hehe. Enjoy.  
**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

_**September 11  
**_

Dear Friend,

I can't live a full and happy life anymore. I just realized that from being a weirdo, I finally turned into a freak! Yes, FREAK as Toru clearly pointed out yesterday. It's been a week since classes started and the three of us were making the most of it (since we missed each other so much – at least, that's what I want to believe). And then she said:

Quote and unquote: Maya, are you lusting over Kagami-kun's butt?

Yep! She asked me if I lust over Taiga's butt! I still can't really think properly so I can't really write and explain that well. It's too much of a shock!

"Hahaha! What are you saying?!" I asked her, but I was already sweating and my heart was palpitating.

"Well, I just noticed that you keep staring at his butt." Toru said as a matter-of-factly.

"Are you serious? Why would I…"

"Oh, I've noticed it too!" Mika said.

Now, I stopped breathing.

When one person says something, you could deny its truth but when two already testifies, that is entirely a different matter. And besides I can't think of any reason why Toru and Mika would lie to me especially about that.

"I am?!" I asked more to myself. Even I am not sure.

Actually, I also caught myself staring - once! But I immediately took my eyes of it the moment I noticed. There's no ill intention behind it at all, I swear! And that was one time! I mean… oh my god! What if I'm staring at his butt unconsciously all this time! What that does make of me?

"Something happened during the summer break, am I right?" Toru asked like an investigator.

"Ah, well…"

"Kukuku! Did you finally do it with Kagami-kun?" Mika asked as she smirked naughtily.

"Eh?! But I want her to do it with Kuroko-kun!" Toru said.

"No! What are you saying?" I asked. I actually know what they are talking about.

"We are talking about deflowering!" Mika said, unabashed.

"We are just sixteen and you're talking about sex?!" I said appalled.

The two just grinned at me. "_Ma, ma,_ calm down!"

And then I told them what happened during the Summer Camp minus Megane Midorima's incident. They still don't know about my fetish and I don't intend to tell them. Even though they are my friends, you'll never know what they will do if they will ever find out.

I am scared at what they will do if they will ever find out!

"It was his fault! It was an accident that I saw his butt!" I finished.

"Ohhh! Was it that great?!" Mika asked. She was talking about Taiga's butt.

"Well, that really depends on each person's point-of-view right?!"

"But…" Mika pressed.

I coughed and whispered. "Yeah…he has a great butt."

"No wonder you are staring." Mika laughed holding her stomach.

"Hmmm…why is it that for some reason, I wanted to see it too?" Toru asked us.

I repeat, we are talking about Taiga's ass.

"What?!" I asked her shocked. "I'm sorry, I think I heard it wrong!"

"I want to see it." Toru simplified. I hate it when she's being so honest!

"Now that you've said it, I also want to see it." Mika said.

"That isn't even funny! Are we perverts or what?!" I said.

"No but seriously Maya. Whenever Kagami-kun turned his back, you zero-in on his butt!" Toru said again. "So, it must have been a great sight."

Mika nodded in agreement.

I was already fighting with my self-respect here so when Toru said that again and Mika agreed, I lost it, completely ignoring the 'great' part.

"ARGGG! BUTT! BUTT! WILL YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT HIS BUTT?!" I said.

"Whose butt?" Taiga said from behind suddenly appearing with Tetsu.

"GYAAAAA!" The three of us screamed.

The two boys flinched.

"What is wrong with the three of you!?" Taiga asked.

"You're all acting strange." Tetsu said.

"Ahahaha! Don't mind us. Girl stuff, you know." Mika reasoned.

They looked at the three of us coolly.

"Don't forget about the practice!" Taiga reminded me.

"Or Aida-sempai will get angry with you again, Maya-san." Tetsu said.

Then they walked pass us. And then, my eyes, by reflex slash habit slash automatically, lustfully looked at Taiga's butt. WAAHH!

I nearly took my eyeballs out from its socket! This is serious. I went down to my knees. Any pride that I have was gone.

I'VE TURNED INTO A PERVERT!

"Ah, this is serious." Toru remarked.

IT IS SERIOUS. What if other people caught me staring?! That would be humiliating. I can't live anymore!

Later in the practice, I made sure not to look at Taiga when he was playing. When we were talking, I made sure I am only looking at his face. When we are about to go home, I made sure I am walking ahead of them. These were all very tedious acts except that I have to do it for self-preservation. And after I got home, I actually self-actualize! I never self-actualize before because I'm pretty sure about myself but this time it's different. In the end, I wish I hadn't, because after a few minutes of internalizing, I already felt crappy and disgusted with myself. I mean, god, of all body parts that I have to lust after, it has to be a buttocks?! That two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on posterior of the pelvic region?! A.K.A Taiga's butt?! For real?!_  
_

_Zetsouboshita!_

I mean, I might have been staring at it all along ever since I saw it. I'm just unaware that I'm doing it which is totally freaky. Like shit.

And then today, it's the worst. Mika and Toru treated me like a psychotic patient. I'm serious! During lunch time, they actually called me in the rooftop. Of all places, of course it's the rooftop (it will be always the rooftop). That's where great/not so great things happen. Both of them were all serious while looking at me.

Toru cleared her throat. "Maya, I am aware that you have been unconsciously staring at Taiga's butt which if not cured will become a problem."

"Are you psychoanalyzing me?!" I cried in shock. But they ignored me and Toru continued her findings. Imagine her in a podium in front of hundreds of people, about to deliver a revelation that could alter the lives of all human kind.

She is actually serious!

"Freud believed that human behavior is in constant conflict within itself. Unconscious occurrences include an individual's vulnerabilities, motives, tensions, impulses, guilt, fantasies and urges."

"Where did you learn this stuff about Freud?" I intercepted.

"I did an article about cognitive thoughts as my feature article when I was in middle school." Toru answered.

"That is some article." I said and she just rolled her eyes at my sarcasm.

"Please let me continue." Toru said, and then cleared her throat again. "As for your case Maya, the fact that you saw Taiga's butt triggered your strong need for primal contact."

"Primal contact? What are you saying?! Don't tell me…"

"Your unconscious behavior is controlled by the strongest need! If this need is satisfied, then it no longer controls that behavior! Therefore, to cure you…" She paused for dramatic effect. I took the opportunity to speak because I don't want to hear whatever shit her conclusion is! I know what it is already!

"I am not sick. I don't need cure! And besides, I don't like where this is going!" I complained at them, but Mika covered my mouth. Toru continued.

"…To satisfy your strong desire… you Maya, need to TOUCH HIS BUTT!"

Since Mika (who was already chuckling) was still covering my mouth all I could do was to make my eyes bulge.

She wants me to touch Taiga's butt! Is she f*ck*ng crazy?!

That's the same as groping!

And groping is what perverts do!

During afternoon classes, Mika and Toru keep sending me (top) secret letters. The plan will commence after the basketball practice today. And the two _she_-demons will come with me.

Just the fact that my friends are turning me into a pervert…, like, wow, that is very comforting. Haha! (SARCASM)

After class, the three of us went directly to the basketball gym.

"I will not do it!" I said to Toru.

"Oh, so would rather stare at his butt?" She asked me.

"No! But c'mon! Groping?!"

"I did not say you grope! I said touch! Unless, you really want to grope…"

"No!"

"Like I said, you need to satisfy your desire."

"I do not desire his butt!"

"Shh! Kiyoshi-senpai is coming!" Mika said.

We shut up and then stood properly. The three of us said our hellos' to Teppei-nii.

"Hm? It's rare that Mika-chan and Toru-chan watch our practice." Teppei-nii said to the two.

"Ahahaha! We also want to see what Maya is doing, once in a while." Mika said.

"Ah, I see. That's a beautiful friendship!" He said.

"You don't know what beauty means in our friendship." I said particularly to no one. Mika elbowed me on the side.

"Ow! What are you doing!" I cried in pain.

"_Mou_, Maya! I can't get your humor sometimes! It must be because you're a _gaijin_." Mika said as she smiled at me.

"Me, being a foreigner, has nothing to do with it. Besides I am not even joking!"

"Hahahaha! Like I said, I don't get your humor."

Teppei-nii laughed. "Beautiful friendship, indeed."

"Ugh." Was all I could say.

Teppei-nii then went to the clubroom to change. At the same time, Taiga and Tetsu came out. Talk about timing!

"Kagami-kun. Kuroko-kun." Toru called to them.

"Wah! Why did you call them?!" I was very nervous here. My heart is pounding 100x faster than the normal while I watch Taiga and Tetsu walk toward us. I thought Toru would make me touch Taiga's butt already. And I am not ready.

"Wo, I never thought I'd see the two of you here." Taiga said to Toru and Mika.

"We have times when we want to watch basketball." Toru said.

"So, why'd you call us? You need something?"

"Fufufu! I'd like to invite you to eat with us after your practice." Toru said.

"Why?!" Taiga asked suspiciously.

"Do we need a reason why we would invite our friends?"

"No, but coming from you…"

"It's our treat."

"Well then, ok!" Taiga said.

"That's very nice of you Shinda-san." Tetsu said.

"You're welcome!" Toru grinned.

I had a bad feeling.

Fast forward.

So we went to Maji Burger and I am the one who paid for our food. I really wanted to hate Toru and Mika for putting me up to this, but for some reason, I can't! This is probably my punishment for all the bad things that I have done! This is so unfair!

Taiga and Tetsu were at the counter buying our food while Toru and Mika presented to me their plan.

"_Ika_, Maya! When we get out of here, make sure Kagami-kun would go first and then that's your chance!" Mika instructed.

"I will not touch his buttocks on public!" I said.

"That's why we should make it an accident. Well make you trip over and then you do the rest." Toru said.

"Why didn't we do that earlier, if your plan is that simple?"

"We want to eat." Mika said smiling.

I want to hate them, but I really can't. I think there's something wrong with me!

Anyway, as usual, Taiga ate another 10 hamburgers, while Tetsu ordered another vanilla drink. Toru and Mika were very talkative and excited. And I was dying because I will become a pervert any minute now. I wish Taiga and Tetsu would just eat forever, but being boys, they (Taiga, only) gobble their foods like wolves and after half an hour, we were finished.

ARGGG!

Tetsu went first and then Taiga, and then the three of us stood at the same time.

"Toru…do I really have to do this?" I said to her teary-eyed.

"Uhh, yes. Didn't we just talk about this already?"

"But I…"

"No buts."

I showed her my hands. "Toru…"

"Maya, remember. Freud."

I sniffed. I don't care about Freud! This is stupid.

To be honest, I wanted to touch Taiga's butt. Curiosity killed the cat, they say. But I have an ego to protect and I can't allow myself to turn into a pervert. I mean, it might be okay if I am a boy, but, hello world, I'm a girl! Vagina check, it's there. So I can't really do this.

I'm already ok with staring at it! And I am serious!

I can't do this!

And then Toru pushed me. Mika stretched her leg in front of me and I really tripped (I don't even have to pretend). So I went flying towards Taiga who has his back on me. Everything from now on happens in slow-mo.

I am flying towards Taiga. My body is bended forward. My eyes are on his butt.

I stretched my arms to its fullest. I crunched my fingers, ready to grope.

2 meters until the ass.

1 meter until the ass.

And then Taiga stepped aside.

Tetsu was there. He was facing me.

I am flying towards him, arms stretched, fingers ready.

"DIS. A. PEARRRR!" I yelled. But it was too late.

My hand landed to you-know-where. My hands slid downward. And oh, I felt.

Please don't make me describe anymore.

And then. PLOP.

I dropped face down on the floor.

"OHH! YOU GOT THE BETTER ONE!" Mika and Toru shouted in glee.

I lifted my face to see Tetsu and he is just looking down at me with that dead-pan expression. It was scary. He is the _kuudere_-type so even when he is angry, he'll just keep silent and looks like that - expressionless. It is a lot worse than shouting. I tell you. It's actually the worst form of anger.

"Tetsu… it was an accident." I said trembling. Well, my hands were trembling.

An awkward pause occurred.

"More than that, are you ok?" Tetsu asked me.

I slowly got up, and then knelt in front of him.

"It's ok to get angry!" I said guiltily. I felt so low – like the lowest form of life in the universe. My hands were still trembling.

"I am not angry Maya-san. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Tetsu, I am so sorry!"

"You are not answering me…"

"You are trembling Maya. Are you sure you are ok?" Taiga asked. Damn his butt!

"_Ie!_ More precisely, her hands are trembling." Mika corrected.

"Ah!" Toru commented. Well, it was a word with no meaning at all, but at that time it says all.

I lifted my trembling hands in the air. Spotlights and dramatic effect were on me.

"_Gomenasa_i!" I screamed.

Tetsu looked away and then turned his back on me. He started walking outside.

I stood to ran after him but Toru and Mika stopped me.

"Let us feel too!" Mika said and she started holding my hands. Toru followed.

"Ohhh!" They both said.

"What are you guys doing?!" Taiga looked at us like we are some kind of retards.

Later on, I apologized to Tetsu a thousand/million times. I know deep down he must be embarrassed too. It might be worse than what I feel. I had to tie my arms around him so that he would listen and not vanish on me. He said I don't need to because as I said, it was an accident. I said I would treat him to all kinds of vanilla flavor foods that he wanted. It was my penance. And he said, that's a good idea.

Oh, god. I so wanted to forget. It's so very disturbing. _That_. You know.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. Toru said: Now that you have conquered your desire towards Taiga's butt, I am afraid to say that what happened between you and Kuroko-kun triggered another desire that you must fulfill. That is the nature of fulfillment. The sense of **touch** has to be matched with the sense of **sight**!

She is crazy.

Both of them are crazy.

I really suspect that Toru and Mika are full-fledged perverts!

And they just made me into one!


	17. The Perks of Yoshimura Mika

**Hm. Not really funny. Sort of like prologue for Seirin's cultural festival. :)**

***School Days**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

_**September 16**_

Dear Friend,

Guess what my FRIENDS did to me today…

They slapped me with a magazine!

Well, Mika did the slapping because she was the one holding it, but my god! They basically BITCH-SLAPPED me! With a one-inch thick magazine! Like WTH? Are they even my friends? I mean if it was a joke, they could have told me first. But no! Right after the bell rang for lunch break; the two of them immediately went to me and then slapped me.

Ok. It didn't hurt, but hell, they still slapped me! If they weren't my friends, I would have hauled off and slugged them except they, unfortunately, were. I was too stunned to react, while holding my cheek. Taiga and Tetsu, who saw the whole thing, can only gape at the three of us.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Mika demanded. She laid the magazine on my table.

It was the new issue of the teen magazine where Ryo and I were the front cover. I totally forgot about it already. It's the first time I saw it (because it was just released today, duh!) and I actually felt happy because I really look pretty. B_anzai! _to photoshop. It's awesome. At least I don't look awkward, so thank you!

Taiga and Tetsu stood up to look at the magazine cover.

"Is this Kise and you?!" Taiga asked surprised, his eyes practically bulging.

"Ah, eh, well, it looks like it." I said unsurely.

"Are you sure this is you?!" He asked again. I punched his stomach. As usual, he didn't feel any pain.

"Shut-up!" I said to him.

"You haven't told us about this!" Mika said to me incredulously.

"You never mentioned that you and Kise-kun were already a couple, Maya-san!" Tetsu said to me.

"Because we are not a couple." I said to him even though in every corner of the cover are the word 'couple'.

"I thought you like Tatsuya?" Taiga asked.

"Who is Tatsuya?" Toru asked.

"He's my childhood friend back in L.A. Just a few weeks ago, she was asking me about him." Taiga supplied.

First, I was a bit uncomfortable that he mentioned Tatsuya-kun. It's been a few weeks since, and I really wanted to see him because if I don't, I'll probably forget what he looks like anymore. I am serious!Its getting blurry whenever I think about his face. I even included in my prayers every night that I'll dream about him, which is not happening. But I am still waiting.

Second, I was appalled that he said I like him like its nothing in front of Tetsu, Mika and Toru. I didn't confirm to him that I do like him, so how can he say that?! I haven't had the courage to say that _'suki'_ yet, for goodness' sake. Taiga is such a gossiper.

All I could do was blush.

"You never mentioned you like Himuro-san…" Tetsu said to me. He wasn't really asking me, so I don't know what to say. I mean, the first time Tatsuya-kun and I met, I shrieked that I'll let him rape me. Ok, that's not the exact words, but, that's what I wanted him to do. Honestly. Isn't it obvious, at that time, that I like him?!

Boys can be so slow.

"I can't believe this! Kise-kun and now this Tatsuya guy? Has it never occurred to you to tell us, even just a little bit, about them?" Mika said in a totally wrong way because she made it sound like I am two-timing them.

"You didn't exactly ask about them. And besides, I don't see the point why I have to even mention them." I said.

"Ahuck! You don't see the point?!"

"Yeah, I don't see the point." I repeated.

"When your face is practically pasted on the front cover of a magazine sold in every corner of Japan?" Mika asked.

"Ok, fine. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." I sighed.

"Well, it's not like I need an apology." Mika said, nonchalantly.

"Why are you angry then?! You even slapped me, remember?!" I said.

"Ok, I apologize about that one." Mika said.

"Anyway, this…" I took the magazine from Taiga and Tetsu who were already reading a short article about us. "…is not gonna happen again. It's a onetime deal only anyway."

Mika grabbed my shoulders real hard.

"Have you gone nuts? Why would you NOT do it again?!"

"I told you, I just have to do it at that time!"

"Did you know that you are the only person that I know who could get this lucky?! I never had a friend who is a model before!" Toru said seriously.

"Err... I am not exactly a model."

"I mean, c'mon, you could bring Kise Ryota to the café and…" Mika started.

"NO." Was my immediate answer before she could even finish.

"No?" She asked.

"No." I said.

"Even though it's to insure our victory?" Toru asked.

"No." I said again.

Just so you know, we are talking about the class activity for the cultural festival. This is like my first cultural festival ever! (Since Japan is probably the only country I know who celebrates school culture so grandiosely). Anyway, I really wanted to go all-out (and really excited) so I suggested my ever favorite haunted house, but my idea was out-voted. I can't believe they didn't vote for that. I mean, it's going to be November soon, like, hello, Halloween?! And it's my first time. They could have considered that, at least. What heartless classmates I have! Toru's idea about having a play is also out-voted. No one is willing to memorize lines and do props in a short-amount of time (which is one month – plenty of time if you asked me). Only Mika's suggestion about doing a cosplay café (totally overrated—seriously) was chosen because:

1. It does not require heavy work, in fact, it requires no work at all, since one of our classmates (she's seriously rich, her parents own a five-star hotel in Tokyo) offered to lend us table, chairs and other café stuffs. Notice that our class is really that lazy.

2. Any costumes will do - which is not time-consuming since we can buy our costumes online. Like I said, class B is very lazy.

3. Half of the class population (weirdly dominated by females) is Mika's fans. They read her manga already. I haven't and I am the friend! I don't even freaking know what the title is or her pen-name. Mika is very strict slash scary about me reading her manga. She won't let me.

4. The class president likes Mika. He's totally infatuated with her. So when Mika raised her suggestion, he almost approved it on the spot. It's so unfair. He's abusing his power! And he looked like *Makoto Ito which is making me want to kill him for some reason.

So anyway, Seirin High has this contest per category where if you won you will get exempted in a related minor subject exam. Since we're doing a café, we are under the Home Economics category. The subject is very easy but everyone wants to win because an exemption is still an exemption. Winners are based on who accumulated the highest net earnings, hence the topic about Ryo. He could really help us win, now that I know he is that popular. But then, I refuse to use him that way.

I don't like to ask a favor from him. Period.

Just after a few seconds, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and I flinched. He has some seriously wicked sense of timing, and it's not funny.

"Haha, please excuse me. I'm just going to answer this call." I said, but Mika stopped me.

"Hohoho, that's Kise-san right?!"

"No…" I lied.

"Answer it here." Mika ordered.

"Uhg."

I answered. Ryo squealed at the other line.

"Mayacchi! Have you seen the magazine cover?!"

"Uhm, just saw it seconds ago."

"Yeah, and what could you say?! It's awesome right." Ryo laughed. It's the kind of laugh that infects you, so I kind of smiled. Toru and Mika grinned annoyingly in front of me. I rolled my eyes at them.

"Yeah, it is. Listen…" I started but Ryo keeps on talking. Vain much, this guy.

"This is awesome, you're beautiful!" He complimented. I grinned. I mean, anyone would grin when someone say that to you. Right?!

"In the cover, you mean." I corrected, trying for the humble-effect.

"Not just in the cover. You are beautiful, Mayacchi." Ryo said. It seriously did something inside me because I turned red. Like, ripe tomato red. I covered my mouth with my free hand. Shit. What the hell is he saying?! My grin reached my ears and I am red and I can't speak. Not that I need to speak at that time because Ryo was still talking.

A bishounen just said that I am beautiful! Oh my god!

When I thought I could speak again, without squealing and giggling, I said:

"Listen Ryo…"

"You call him Ryo?" Tetsu butted in.

"You said you aren't a couple!" Taiga said.

"Are you sure you two aren't dating?!" Mika asked.

"You could be dense sometimes, you know. It might be that you thought you aren't but Kise-san thinks otherwise." Toru said.

"We aren't a couple or dating." I clarified.

"Hm?! Are you with some friends?" Ryo asked on the other line.

"Yes. I am sorry."

"No, its ok."

"Put it on loud speaker!" Mika said.

"What?! No!" I refused.

"What?" Ryo asked.

"They wanted me to put you on loud speaker."

"Why?"

"You don't want to know." I warned.

"Is Kurokocchi there?"

"Yeah, and Taiga."

"Then, I guess it's ok."

"No, its…"

Before I could finish, Mika took the phone and pressed the loud speaker button.

"Is this Kise-san?" She asked with this deceiving sweet voice.

"_Hai_, and this is?!"

"This is one of Maya's friends. We saw each other during the practice match! My name is Yoshimura Mika."

"Hello, Yoshimura-san."

"This is also one of Maya's friends. My name is Shinda Toru. I also saw you during the practice match."

"Yes, hello Shinda-san. I am very sorry, I couldn't remember what you look like." Ryo said honestly.

"Haha, no it's ok! I'm sure we'll meet again." Toru said.

"Yeah, actually this October, Seirin's going to have its cultural festival so..."

"WAAHH!" I stood to cover Mika's mouth.

"If you want to vis…" Toru said.

"What are you doing!" I also covered her mouth and then pushed the two of them out of earshot.

"Mayacchi?... Yoshimura-san?... Shinda-san?!..." I heard Ryo called.

Tetsu and Taiga took my phone.

"Kise-kun." Tetsu started.

"Kurokocchi! Kagamicchi is with you, right?"

"Yo!" Taiga greeted.

I haven't heard what they talked about (but it's probably about the Winter Cup anyway) because I was focusing on my two demon friends. I removed my hands.

"Don't do that again!" I said to them.

"Don't you want to win?!" Mika asked.

"I do, but he is out of the question."

"Why?"

"Because we are not that close enough for me to ask a favor!"

"Pshaw! You call him Ryo!" Mika said dismissing what I just said.

"He asked me to call him with his name." I explained.

"Doesn't that mean he likes you?" Toru asked.

"If he did, he would have said it. He is that kind of person." I snorted.

"Yeah, he could have said it if you are not always with Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun." Mika said.

I sighed. "No is no."

I rest my case. Just imagine if he would go here, girls would totally kill themselves just to get a look at him. No, that's a mistake. More like, the girls (his fan girls) would kill me, literally, if they saw me with him. I don't want to die yet!

That what happens to all the girls a bishounen sticks himself with in manga and anime. It might not be far in real life. I mean, this is Japan! Anything can happen.

Love Always, Maya.

_**October 02**_

Dear Friend,

I do have a long patience, but two weeks of bullying is too much for me. I counted. Today is the 14th day. Yes, I was actually bullied! I'm sorry I didn't write about it. I thought I could fix this myself because the pranks were very childish. It started the day after the cover of the magazine was released. True, they were some students who went to the classroom just to look at me, a.k.a., Kise Ryota's girlfriend. I became a celebrity over night which is totally uncomfortable. I'll never get involve with these kind of things again. Ever! Anyway, as expected all of them were girls. Some were very supportive, but most were really hard core haters. In the strictest sense of hardcore, friend. I would not blame Ryo here. I mean it isn't his fault to have crazy b*tch*s after him. It's more of my fault. I haven't really foreseen this kind of after-effects when I agreed to do the front cover.

But, oh well.

It already happened, I might as well put up with it.

On the first day, these three senpais approached me in the restroom. They are actually decent-looking, that you'll never think they could bully someone. I mean, they have to be decent. Seirin High is, after all, a private school. They not really strict with the hair though. Boys could have long hair. They started to ask me if I was the girl in the cover, and when I said yes, they started bashing me.

Right inside the restroom.

This is the first time that I get bullied so it was a new for me. Instead of fear though, I felt kind of happy. C'mon! Girls bullying in the rest room are kind of anime/manga like and I was experiencing that at that moment. It might never happen again, you know. GAH! I'm so totally a freak to even like bullying but I felt like I'm Sawako, (I just watched _Kimi no Todoke_ a week before so it's the first one to pop in my head), except that the one playing Kazehaya (Ryo) isn't even in our school and I am not entirely the Sawako-type.

So anyway they started with plain and ugly and a midget and too-normal what-on-earth-did-Kise-kun-saw-in-you which are all in the elementary bashing category. And then this girl in the right said that I look like a bug.

"I can't believe Kise-kun, like seriously, went for this foreign bug, like eww."

I hate insects so I DESPISE it when someone compared me to one. And she is the only one who did that to me, for the record. She even said it in that annoying way, it hurts your ears.

I turned into a yakuza, totally-bad-ass-attitude-mode on. As I said, I am not Sawako. I don't back down even though I am sort of anti-social. I looked at the Right Girl mockingly.

"Senpai, if you're going to copy Paris Hilton, at least bleach your hair right."

"Shut your mouth!" The Left Girl said.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "If I were you, I would tell that to myself senpai. You are a little bit pudgy so please shut your mouth to stop eating."

The Middle Girl, unfortunately taller than me, glared down at me.

"You're a bit sharp-mouthed freshman." She said.

"It's one of the things your Kise-kun liked about me." I lied through gritted teeth.

And then I walked passed them, but before I get out through the door, I went for the last kill.

"Oh, and I call him Ryo."

They gape at me. I smiled at them.

**Day 2 until Day 6**. All they did was to mess up my shoe locker and indoor shoes. It's tolerable because I was already expecting that. They couldn't get creative enough.

**Day 7 to Day 12**. They even involve Mika and Toru's locker. I already gave them the heads-up though so they were kind of prepared. I was already annoyed. This seems to go on forever and I am so tired to clean my locker every single day. Well, especially Toru since she's kind of a cleanliness freak.

**Day 13**. Toru got an information about the senpais that were the primary suspects in the locker defiling crime. Her networks are amazing. The Middle Girl is Inoue Karin. The Right Girl is Sato Ana. The Left Girl is Mibu Sara.

I wrote their true names since I plan to get back at them in the future - at them and the future generations to follow in their line. I am serious.

I was kind of hoping they got tired by now though since I am ignoring everything they did. But this day, it got worse. They basically messed up the gym. They scattered all these smelly garbage on the floor. It was horrifying and disrespectful! Who would do that?!

I apologized to Aida-sempai and the boys about this and cleaned the trash. They helped me clean, eventually.

"Oi, Maya. Don't you think this is getting out of hand?" Taiga asked me, concerned.

"Yeah, I think so too." I said.

"I think we should do something about this." Tetsu suggested.

I also told the two about the bullying. I actually been telling them everything that I think is necessary to tell a friend ever since that incident last time, when they made a fuss with the front cover and Tatsuya-kun thing.

"What do you suggest?"

"Report to the Student Council?" Tetsu said.

"Hm, I wouldn't report it until there is an evidence that would support my accusation though. I want them to get really punished."

"Then we'll get some evidence." Taiga said.

"We?!"

"This involves us as well, Maya-san. They threw trash in the basketball court." Tetsu said. He's obviously pissed.

**Day 14. Today.**

I had it. They threw a pail of water at me! I can't believe this. And the water is the color of mud and smells mud. I was so pissed and irritated. My god. How childish could they get?! School didn't even start yet.

I punch in sick for the morning class. Our class advisor was really shocked seeing me all drenched, so she allowed me to be excused. I basically showered for an hour just to get satisfied that I am clean, and then changed into gym clothes. And then I met Taiga, Tetsu, Mika and Toru during lunch break.

"Ok guys, help me kill whoever is doing this!" I said, growling.

"Please calm down, Maya-san." Tetsu said.

"Calm down?! How can I calm down, they just soaked me with dirty water!"

"I understand what you feel, but listen to Kuroko." Taiga said.

"So what's your plan?" Mika asked.

"I don't know. Do you think they will attack when I sleep in the clinic?"

"I doubt it; I don't think they will skip class just to bully you in the clinic. I don't think they are stupid." Mika said.

"And it's not like we'll skip class to help you." Toru said.

"Tch, ok fine. I'll attend the afternoon class." I said.

"You just really wanted to skip class, don't you?" Taiga asked me.

"I'm not exactly in the mood for studying today. I mean, GRAAAHHH! Early in the morning? Really?! Could they give me some slack?! I can't believe these people even exist!"

"Calm down!" Tetsu said as he patted my shoulder.

I made a zen-pose and exhaled.

Later that afternoon, after class and before club practice, the five of us disbursed in different areas in the school that the bullies might attack today or prepare for tomorrows prank in two groups. Taiga and Tetsu were in the gym. They basically don't have a choice in the matter. The three of us were scouting the second-year floor looking for the culprit[s]. I am the only one visible; Mika and Toru were behind me, somewhere, filming, Tetsu-style.

I found no one suspicious. None of them were glaring at me and I didn't feel any stab-in-the-back stare. I was already going down the stairs, headed for the basketball practice, when this guy appeared. He has the same hairstyle as Ryo, blonde. He is good-looking too, actually. Except he was kind of giving a creepy vibes. You know creepy when you see one.

"Ah!" He said to me, really surprised.

I nodded at him, and proceeded to go down but he grabbed my wrist tightly which puts me to stop. It hurts.

"Are you Maya-san?" He asked.

"Uhm, yeah. Can you please let go of my hand? You're hurting me." I said scowling.

He released my hand.

"Sorry, I get really carried away sometimes." He smiled.

"Yeah… It's okay." I said. "Well then, I'll go ahead senpai."

"Oh, no. I am not a senpai. We're both first years." He said.

"Oh. Ok, sorry about that." I said.

"I'm Suzuka Noa, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Suzuka-san. I wish we could talk a bit longer but I really have to go." I smiled.

"To the basketball practice."

It wasn't a question.

"Yeah. To the basketball practice."

"I wonder if that's the reason why Kise-sama liked you. Basketball." Suzuka Noa drawled on the word basketball.

Since he just called Ryo, Kise-sama, I know who he is already. The f*ck*ng homo. But I was too shocked that he is actually a guy/gay that all I could say was:

"I'm sorry?"

"You still don't get it? I am the one pulling all the pranks on you." He confessed.

That the sentence I needed. I hoped Mika and Toru recorded it, wherever they are.

"Since when?"

"Well, the first five days, there are three girls who were messing on your locker, and I thought their pranks are kind of boring. So when they stopped, I continued it for them."

Whoa, he is really explaining it to me!

"And you think you're pranks aren't?" I said, undeterred.

"It made you search for me." He grinned.

"So you're objective is?"

"Leave Kise-sama. He doesn't deserve someone like you." He said with hatred.

"Don't tell me the one he deserves is you." I laughed.

"I want to, but I am not that delusional."

"Right, hence the blonde hair."

"You'll leave him or you will get more dirty water?" He asked.

"Mind if we talk about this outside the school. I don't really want to get expelled from beating your face up." I said.

"You bitch!" He jumped at me, but I dodged.

"Ahhh!" I screamed and ran my fastest until I passed through the gates of Seirin and then outside the premises and jurisdiction of the school.

He followed.

He was still catching his breath when I tackled him. He fell into the ground. And then I kicked his groin. Thank god, it's still there. I watched him squirm in pain, while I still catch my breath.

"Bastard, the next time you pull pranks on me again, I will make Ryo kill you." I said in between breaths.

"You don't want that don't you?!" I continued.

"Bitch!" He started getting up. I stepped backward but unfortunately I tripped and fell on my butt.

Mika and Toru appeared and ran towards me. Both of them screamed 'stop'.

Suzuka Noa was about to punch me when Taiga and Tetsu arrived and saved me from imminent danger. Getting punch in the face!

"Taiga, Tetsu!"

"Next time, go somewhere near school!" Taiga yelled at me.

"And don't do this again, Maya-san. It's dangerous." Tetsu said.

"Let me say thank you first before the two of you scold me." I cried and then I looked at Mika and Toru.

"Did you got the whole thing?!" I asked them.

"Everything!" Mika gave me the thumbs up. Toru showed me the video camera.

Suzuka-san started crying. I sighed heavily.

"If I were you, I wouldn't get close to him that much." I warned Tetsu and Taiga. "He got the hots for Ryo after all."

"What?!" Tetsu and Taiga said.

I stood up and looked at him.

"Suzuka-san, don't bully me again or anyone at all, you understand?" I asked him.

He nodded.

"If you're going to be a good boy, I might be really, really, really kind and let you meet him personally."

He looked at me.

"Yes. That is, if you were a good boy. Yes?" I said to him, looking everything evil.

"Maya, what are you doing?" Taiga asked.

I hushed him.

"I'm guessing she's not that calm." Tetsu said.

"I'll be good, promise." Suzuka-san said like a poor puppy.

"Good." I chuckled.

"She just acquired a slave." Mika informed them.

Yes, I acquired an ex-bully slave. I just realized that I handle this bully thing pretty well. But I am hoping this would never happen again.

I hate bullies.

Love Always, Maya.

PS. I called Ryo just seconds ago to ask him if he's free next weekend. He said he is free and then I invited him for the cultural festival. I do owe Mika and Toru, at least, I need to re-pay what they did. He gladly said yes.


	18. The Perks of the Bunkasai

**Sorry for the long update. I have to go somewhere far from civilization as a sort of social responsibility. Tch. Anyway. Please be patient for Akashi-kun, haha. We will get there.  
**

**First Part;P  
**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

_**October 17**_

Dear Friend,**_  
_**

The world must have ended without me knowing it.

Yesterday, my Mom told us that she joined the Family and Community Association in our subdivision. Sort of like the PTA thing in school. You know, the group for socialist parents (housewives) who basically help (force) the community (every family in the subdivision) to have social lives. It's too much of a shock for me so please let me tell you this first. I just have to tell someone. I know, of course, that's normal. But we are talking about my Mom! She dislikes Community Associations. She sees this as hypocritical and waste of time. Hell would freeze over before she could join one. But yesterday morning, she told us she did. Last week!

What's more shocking is that she was the appointed Chairman/Organizer on the next event in our place. A Halloween Trick-or-Treat Costume Party on the 30th.

My Dad burned his tongue after he choked (and nearly died) on his hot morning coffee. Robin gaped at my Mom with mouth wide open. And I froze.

No. The world did not end. It's an invasion! My real Mom was abducted by this green, over-sized head aliens with white eyes and replaced her with the one in front of us! She is the ORGANIZER of a HALLOWEEN PARTY! ORGANIZER! I mean, really?! Her?! What wrong with the world?! I fear that Japan is not going well with my Mom.

And she goes on me saying:

"Maya, invite all your friends, ok? And tell them to dress up. It's a Halloween Party after all. Hohoho!"

She said this in a high-pitch witchy voice. She was ordering. And the fact that she said all means, literally, all! No one's probably going to this party so she's requiring me and my friends to attend! It's probably that bad. I mean, she probably doesn't know that the only friends (as in FRIENDS) that I have are the Basketball Club, Toru, Mika and some other basketball creeps.

And may I point out that Japan doesn't even celebrate Halloween?!

Anyway, I told Mika and Toru that there will be trick-or-treat in our subdivision and I am inviting them to come and join, please, or else. Their eyes got big and sparkled.

"Like the trick-or-treat ringing on the doorbells late at night trick-or-treat?!" Mika asked, her smile was wide as ever.

"And they will give you candies and chocolates and all the sweet stuff?" Toru asked drooling.

"Yes, just like what you see in the TV." I said.

They immediately said yes, giggling and squealing. It's going to be their first time after all.

I, then, invited the entire Basketball Club but they were a real pain in the ass. The boys said it's for kids (trying to act cool but failed). I told them there will be a party only for teenagers. But they said, they're going to wear costumes which were '_mendokusai_'. I said, of course you have to wear costumes. It's a Halloween Costume Party, for Pete's sakes. That's still bothersome, they said. I said there's going to be a booth (yes, there really is) where they turn normal humans into zombies, so they don't have to wear costumes at all. All they have to do is to wear zombie make-up. They said it's troublesome, again. I said it's for free (this is a lie; I'm going tell my Mother to pay for them - on the day itself so she won't have a choice.). They all said they're going.

Geez. Boys.

And then Aida-sempai said:

"What about practice?"

She has a serious issue about this. Like, seriously.

"But it's just one day!" I reasoned.

"But if we are going to skip a practice, then we are going to be behind the schedule."

"The event is going to start in the evening, like at 6. So we can head in our place after practice." I explained.

"And it will end at what time?"

"Err, it's a party so I think around 12 midnight? Or a couple of hours after 12." I said this very slowly and very quietly.

Aida-sempai looked at me impatiently.

"But its Saturday the next day, so it's no biggie." I added. A major wrong move because we usually practice the whole day of Saturday.

"Tell me why I should agree with this." Aida-sempai gave an ultimatum.

"But the boys said they were already going!"

"I am the coach. I decide." She said. Like my Mom!

"You get to dress up Nigo?" I offered. Aida-sempai is like a master in sewing. She makes these cute clothes for Nigo. She even made him a basketball uniform! I'm kind of bitter about that because I don't have a Seirin uniform yet. I mean, she made a uniform for the dog and nothing for me, the manager which is a human, who is her _kouhai _to add?! Not that a manager needs one, but I also wanted to have a jersey! But all I have is the stupid jacket!

"Hm… not convincing." She said in akimbo.

"My Mom is going to kill me. You _have_ to go! You talked to her before right?! So, you know." I said turning to my last resort.

She paused and I knew it was working.

"Pretty please! The club needs to have fun, once in a while anyway. Please, senpai. Save me!" I pleaded.

"Oh, alright!" Aida-sempai sighed.

I wish I could invite you to the Halloween Party, sort of like my Thank You gift, since I've been really writing to you endlessly. But I guess you'll be having one in your place. So anyway, today is the start of our Cultural Festival. Seirin High is celebrating it a little earlier. It's just the first day and I have decided that its one of my unforgettable memories yet in my entire high school life! It's a three-day event that will end on Monday.

The day started with the Class President texting us to meet at the classroom at 8:00 am. It's already late compared to the other classes but like I said, since everything has been taken care of, Class B has nothing to worry about aside from costumes. It's actually one of the advantages of having a (super) rich classmate. It's making everything easier. Contrary to the belief that you cannot enjoy it to the fullest when you didn't really work hard for it, I am actually enjoying myself. Actually, I don't even have to worry about anything. Mika volunteered to make a costume, not just for me, but also for Toru, Taiga and Tetsu as well. I think it's weird that she'll do this but we all agreed. I doubt that she'll really make the costumes anyway; she'll probably just rent it somewhere. It actually saved us the time and effort especially for the three of us who were in the Basketball Club since the Winter Cup Preliminaries is getting nearer and nearer and Taiga and Tetsu were getting more excited as days passed. (When this happens, all they care about was basketball. Tetsu was talking about his new technique and Taiga was trying everything with his left-hand (and he was right-handed). Talk about freaks!)

Mika arrived in the classroom late, carrying big paper bags. And then she practically jumped at me and Toru like a frog.

"Umpfh!" Toru and I groaned as we both stumbled backward.

"Look what I got you!" Mika said excitedly.

She started to take out the costumes from the bag and then she gave me this Prince costume, military version with the sword and stuff.

"Err?" I inquired stupidly.

"Cross-dress." Mika replied curtly.

"You're making us cross-dress?!"

"Yep." She took out another costume, a samurai kimono and a samurai sword and gave it to Toru.

I was actually excited since I've never tried cross-dressing as a man before.

"Taiga and Tetsu too?" I asked hopefully. I do want them to wear girls' clothes. It's going to be hilarious.

"Kukuku!" Mika chuckled evilly which means yes. I rejoiced.

"No way in hell!" Taiga said behind me. He and Tetsu were squinting at us icily.

"Oho, then what will you wear?" Mika challenged the two guys.

They did not answer.

"You are aware that everyone in Class B should wear a costume right?" Toru reminded them.

"I won't dress up as a girl!" Taiga said stubbornly.

"I second him." Tetsu said.

"Then what will you wear? No one brought a spare costume for the two of you." Mika stated.

Taiga scowled at her.

"I WILL NOT WEAR A DRESS!" Taiga yelled.

"Uhm, excuse me. I have someone to cosplay, so cross-dressing is not necessary." Tetsu said seriously.

"Ho, good. Who will you cosplay?" Mika asked him.

Tetsu cleared his throat.

"I'm cosplaying the Invisible Man." He said and then he vanished at an instant. He disappeared to make a point. Like WTH… I don't even know what to think!

When he appeared, all of us were gaping at him awkwardly. Mika,Toru and Taiga's face were twitching. I was covering my face because I can't take it. I was actually embarrassed for him! It was so lame! I was trying so hard not to let out a laugh.

"Is that supposed to be funny, Kuroko-kun?" Mika asked.

"No. I am actually serious." Tetsu said.

"What on earth did you eat man!" Taiga crunched his face.

"Are you serious?" Toru said to Tetsu.

I laughed so hard that my stomach hurts. "Invisible Man! Hahaha! Oh my god! Hahaha! Invisible Man! Just tell Mika you don't want to wear a dress! Hahaha! Invisible Man! I can't believe you actually thought of that!" I mocked. I CAN'T HELP IT. IT REALLY MADE ME LAUGH! Tetsu can say stupid things sometimes.

Tetsu was glaring at me. I apologized and I tried not to laugh anymore – which took a while.

Mika cleared her throat.

"Anyway, the class decided that it will also be fun if some of us will cross-dress." She said.

"The class?! Why didn't I know that?" Taiga complained.

"You were in your club activities when we talked about this." Mika explained.

"Anyway, the four of you don't have a choice on the matter anymore, since we are already here!" The red demon Mika 'kuku'-ed again. And then she turned to Tetsu and Taiga and grabbed them. The two guys didn't have the time to run away. They were dealing with a demon, after all. Both of them were struggling as she, with a couple of able-bodied classmates pushed them in the male changing area. Toru and I went to the other side. Toru's samurai clothes really suited her, since she is Japanese and all (duh!). I also put mine on.

"I don't think I'd given justice for this costume." I remarked.

"Tch. Yeah. Because your chest is sticking out." Toru said as she looked at me reproachfully.

I sneered smugly at her. Toru was a little on the flat-chested side. It made me happy so I stick out my chest more. It's not every day that I am happy about my breast! (Give this to me, ok.)

"I'd rather die than wear that!" I heard Taiga scream a minute later.

Mika growled something. I also heard Tetsu said something but I didn't catch the words.

"Damn it!" Taiga screamed again.

"Yoshimura-san, I'd rather not!" Tetsu said impatiently.

I was getting curious now. I wanted to see them so badly. Toru and I walked to their changing room but then my phone rang. Ryo really had a bad sense of timing.

"Is that Kise-san?" Toru asked me.

"Uhh, yeah…"

"Then why don't you answer?"

"But I wanted to see Taiga and Tetsu …"

"Let Mika and I handle them, you go and fetch our trump card." Toru said.

I don't have a choice. In the background I heard Taiga scream again.

"Jeezus! Shinda-san why are you here?!"

"To help you change of course."

"Get out!"

"Yoshimura-san, don't you have any other costumes? I really don't like this!" Tetsu said.

"What are you saying?! This totally looks good on you. Wahaha!" Mika laughed.

"That doesn't make me happy at all." Tetsu said.

"We don't really need your help." Taiga said and then he started cursing more.

"Haha! Don't worry; I don't lust for your body." Toru said.

Toru is such a liar.

Meanwhile, I pressed the answer button.

"Mayacchi, I'm here!" Ryo squealed on the other line.

"You're quite early."

"I'm actually excited. This is your school's second year to celebrate Cultural Festival right?"

I walked out the corridor and started heading outside.

"Yep!"

"Seirin's actually doing good!"

"I'm glad you like it! I'll fetch you at the gate. Wait for me."

"Okie!"

When I came, he was shining gloriously, like always. People are staring at him and whispering about him and Ryo doesn't even mind. He gave me a grin and I went blind for a second.

"Wow, am I supposed to kneel down to Your Highness?" He jested.

"Save that for later!" I smiled.

"You look good." He said.

"Look who's talking." I rolled my eyes. "I'm glad you could make it!"

To be honest, I'm very happy he really came.

"Coach actually gave us a rest day so the timing is perfect." Ryo informed me.

"I should say thank you to him, then."

Ryo laughed.

The whispers had gotten louder. A couple of fellow high school girls walked to him.

"Uhm, excuse me. Are you Kise Ryota-san, the model?" Asked HSG #1

"Yes, I am." Ryo said.

The HSGs screamed.

"Can we take pictures with you?"

"Uhm… shu…" I stopped him by blocking the space between him and the girls.

"You can take pictures of him later, at Class 1-B." I said.

The HSGs glared at me for interrupting them, but I glared back.

"Class 1-B, the Cosplay Café." I repeated.

And then I pulled Ryo. "C'mon!"

"What she said." Ryo smiled at the HSGs.

Unfortunately more HSGs blocked our way. To make it short, his mere presence made a fuss all around the school so I had a difficult time bringing him unharmed with no scratch whatsoever to our classroom without me getting butchered by his fan girls, especially by this particular fan. Suzuka Noa actually ambushed us by the entrance. I am not joking. He literally jumped at Ryo. He is so gross. He's my number one in my MOST ANNOYING PEOPLE EVER list.

"Kise-sama!" He yelled. Ryo was so shocked that he lost his muscle to move. I pulled Ryo to the side but Suzuka-san landed on his fours like an animal. What a creep.

"Maya-sama! Remember, what you promised me!" He said but he is looking at Ryo who was beginning to creep-out over the creep.

"Oh right. Ryo, this is Suzuka Noa, the one who bullied me because he is infatuated with you." I introduced rudely.

Ryo looked at me like crazy. "You were bullied?"

"By him and by other girls who were also infatuated with you."

Suzuka Noa froze on where he was. My introduction probably broke him, but hey, it is the truth! He doesn't have the right to get pissed at me for that. I, then, took the opportunity to dash until the classroom. Mika already oriented the class about him so they didn't go ballistic over seeing him when I brought Ryo in. In fact, they even shook his hands and said '_arigato' _to the very puzzled Ryo. I haven't told him about the plan to-earn-a-lot-of-money-using-his-pretty-face-so-that-we-could-get-exempted-from-exam. I figured he would get the idea. Eventually. I already planted the seed of guilt in him anyway so he has no other choice.

"You were bullied?!" He asked me again.

"Yes. But that was already taken care of so you need not to worry." I said.

"But you were bullied." Ryo repeated and has this sad puppy face.

Before I could answer him though, Taiga went out to the changing room. All of us in the classroom were stupefied. Ryo gaped. We all gaped at him. Everything else forgotten. Taiga is wearing a red Japanese _yukata_. His brows weren't twins anymore and he wears this black long wig. He isn't exactly pretty but he isn't that ugly, just muscular and (very) wide. He is the Japanese version of Helga. Taiga is probably the tallest woman I have ever seen in my life. But well. It's Taiga. He still looked ridiculous wearing a _yukata_.

And then he walked.

Like a penguin.

Like a damn PENGUIN! And it didn't even seem to bother him!

We were just looking at him silently until it became so unbearable that someone 'pfft' and then all of us laughed so hard.

Taiga became furious and embarrassed! It was the first time that I saw his face red!

"Damn it! I am not going to wear this!" He said, trying to remove his wig but can't. Mika probably put super glue on it.

"Do you want to win or not?!" The class asked to stop him from rampaging.

"Ahahaha! It doesn't look that bad Kagamicchi!" Ryo said and then took a picture of him using his phone. It just irritated Taiga more though.

Taiga walked to him hurriedly like a penguin. That awkward funny walk. It's really funny.

"Damn you! Delete that at once Kise!" Taiga said grabbing his shirt. But just on the mid-level since he can't raise his arms that high.

Ryo raised his phone.

"No way!" He said tongue out.

Suddenly the atmosphere changed. Flowers suddenly blossomed and then you can feel the wind blowing petals all around. This really happened.

Tetsu, then, came out from the changing room. Everyone turned their attention to him.

The moment when I had a good look at him (like really, REALLY good look and processed what I saw), my nose suddenly exploded a lot of blood (like a bomb).

"GWARHGHGHGH!" I said. I voiced. I sounded. He's not even wearing eyeglasses, and yet I'm bleeding so bad! Tetsu is that lethal-looking.

He was wearing a long light-blue hair, and then this off-shoulder white dress, with light blue ribbon tied around his thin waist. His skin was so pale and flawless. I mean, god. He is so beautiful! He is probably one of those boys who should have been born as a girl. He is even so much more beautiful than me! I mean, all he needs to do is to put on a wig and wear a dress, and poof, he already looks so pretty. It's so unfair! Just how unfair is that?! My self-confidence dropped to the lowest level. I was so filled with envy (admiration/adoration/infatuation/lust) that I am just thankful that he's from the male species.

All of us were awed at him and were blushing while staring at him. Our classmates FINALLY noticed him! I was happy for him that he, for the first time in his life (probably), stands-out and finally took the spotlight! But unfortunately he looked pissed. Well, he looks the same but I just know he is pissed because his eyebrows were a little bit lower!

The shock took all my strength that I leaned on the wall, hyperventilating because I can't breathe through my nose (blood-spurting, hello?!). Ryo knelt. I so understand what he's going through! Ryo took out his phone and started taking pictures. But he can barely hold his phone because you can really see he is trembling so hard. Both of us were trembling, actually. It's totally freaky! I helped Ryo by holding his hands but I was much worse. I'm having a seizure already. We lost our ability to speak! We took a lot of blurry pictures and one (just one) decent photo of him.

Tetsu pouted and glared at us. He never pouted at me before so it was like one of the prized moments ever to happen in human history. I stared at him!

"Kise-kun! Maya-san! Please don't take pictures of me."

AND THEN, he crossed his arms and looked away. Tetsu never did that before! Is this the effect of the dress?! Or the wig!? Oh my god!

Oh my god!

And the way he said it looking like that… I mean. God! The way he said it was just so… so… it was ORGASMIC! I am serious! And I am not even a lesbian! I am so embarrassed to write this. This was too much. Ryo froze for a second, and then his phone rang to signal that something was sent. Tetsu's pictures, I am so sure of it. And then I heard a 'ding' and he fainted. He was much worse than me. Really.

Mika and Toru were laughing like crazy. After Ryo regained his consciousness and I recovered from massive unstoppable nose bleeding, we started our café. A lot of people really came. Mika created a special offer that if you ordered the most expensive dish in the menu, you can have a picture with Ryo (or any cosplayer of your choice). It sold well to the public. Strangely enough.

It took Ryo half a day to realize we are making him help us (when he was practically just standing there for hours and letting people take pictures of and with him). He did complain but he let it slide and continue what he did best - to smile gorgeously at everyone. He liked doing it anyway. And we earned a lot which makes everyone happy.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S I'm looking forward for tomorrow since Taiga told me that he invited Tatsuya-kun (no response, though), I would have kissed him except Mika put a lot of make-up on his face and he is still Helga-san which is like eww. I hope Tatsuya-kun could come. I'm so going to pray he would come.

Oh! And when Taiga and Tetsu finally got free out of their costumes, they actually dumped it in the garbage bin! Both of them were kill-joy, jeez. Mika was so mad; she would have eaten both of them alive. And I mean, furiously mad! The two of them finally saw how demonic she is! I am betting $1000, the two guys will not do it again!


	19. The Perks of Having a Wallpaper

**Kind of rushed. Next chapter is an Omake chapter. Its about their Halloween Party. I'm like two chapters behind.  
**

**~Buuu. ANYWAY. Thanks for reading. Read, Review and Follow.  
**

**Last Part of Bunkasai;'P  
**

***Kuroshitsuji  
**

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**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**  
_"Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_  
_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

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_**October 18**_

Dear Friend,

He came!

Oh my god! He came!

I am so happy!

I would have written a lot more exclamation points to make you feel how happy I am, but it will only take a lot of space!

This time, I imprinted every single detail of Himuro Tatsuya, from his head to his toe, on my mind because we may not see each other again UNTIL the Winter Cup - which would have been avoided if he asked for my number and for a date.

Unfortunately, he FORGOT.

Ok.

He didn't. Psh! That's because he doesn't realize that he wants me yet!

Well, it took me awhile to memorize his features because it is difficult. You know the times when you wanted to just look at his face forever but you can't because you are so shy so you just blush and look at the floor? I really did that. And, of course I am embarrassed! The first time we met, I actually told him I wanted to have s*x with him. Although I don't regret saying that, but couldn't I be obvious?! My heart beats at mach speed just by being near him. It's totally hard to look him in the eyes. Yes. Eyes! His emo-hair was neatly pinned on the side which revealed his oh, so, handsome face. The pins actually made him cooler! I mean, he is totally hot. I am expecting that his left-eye would be like the left-eye of *Ciel, but oh well, reality check! He came with Musashi this afternoon. Tatsuya-kun and Musashi are like BFF now. Poor Taiga. Hehe.

He's the only one who made this day worthwhile!

So it's a Sunday and the crowd just keeps getting thicker and thicker since every neighborhood near Seirin High participated in the festival today. Today, all of us were cosplaying normally. No cross-dressing. I wanted to be a girl and look nice when Tatsuya-kun arrive. This made Tetsu and Taiga (both were still grumpy about yesterday) sort of, relieved. They really hate it. And I mean hate!

"Oi, Maya, don't keep your hopes up. I'm not sure he is going to come today." Taiga warned me. I just looked at him funny. He was cosplaying Sakuragi (his anime counterpart) wearing the red uniform of Shohoku jersey #10. Seeing him like that just makes me smile. He's playing the character so well without even realizing it. Mika just shoved at him the costume and he wore it without complaints!

"You invited him. I can't see a reason why he would decline his brother." I said.

"I am not his brother anymore." Taiga said sadly while looking down.

I laughed. "Puh-lease. You're actually taking that seriously?"

I think Tatsuya-kun forbid Taiga to call him brother because of skill-complex issues. Not that I care, but I honestly think it has something to do with height! Taiga is much taller than Tatsuya-kun. I mean you can't call someone taller to you your little brother. Duh!

"Shut up!" Taiga said.

"Haha! Don't worry he will come." I said to him.

"Like I said, don't get your hopes…"

I dug my fingers in his shoulders and it stopped Taiga in mid-sentence.

"GRAAHHH! That hurts!" He yelled at me.

"He will come!" I pressed, making my eyes big.

"Ok fine! He will! What the heck are your nails made of?!" He said rubbing his shoulders.

"Newly polished nails, baby!" I sang.

"Did you just sing?" He said shocked.

"No. I didn't."

Taiga laughed. "You sang?!"

Ok. I like to sing, but my singing voice isn't exactly the type you want to hear on the radio, so I don't need Taiga to rub that in. I turned my head and scanned around the room.

"Huh? Where's Tetsu?" I said for the sake of changing the topic.

"He is still pissed at you."

"What? But I already apologized!"

"Yeah, as if an apology could make it ok." Taiga said sardonically.

"But you are ok!" I reasoned.

"No, I am pissed at you as well." He said frowning. Like I could believe him. Well, he might really be pissed at me but I know he has forgiven me already - which brings us back to Tetsu who looks like he hasn't yet.

Yesterday night, I actually posted their pictures in my blog to show my friends at my previous home what's been happening to me. I do this every week to maintain (the ever important) communication with them. I mean, I've been friends with them all my life! We post pictures of events that we wanted to share with each other. And I wanted to share Taiga and Tetsu with them. But all I get is hate from the two boys. Especially from Tetsu. I mean, jeez. Are they having PMS or something?

Ok, maybe I should explain further.

I actually asked my friends back home (which aren't a lot by the way, so it's really not a big deal! It's not the whole world, for Pete's sakes!) who is cross-dressing? They actually answered that it's Taiga. They all thought Tetsu is a girl. And so, when the two saw this (same night), they were angry at me. They said they didn't give me the permission to post their pictures, and talk about or laugh at them, blah, blah, blah! We didn't laugh at them, FYI. They are so sensitive. Uhg. I apologized (sincerely) after they finished scolding me (over the phone).

Although, Taiga was somehow redeemed, Tetsu wasn't. His ego as a man has been stepped upon. Is that my fault?! Is it my fault that he is so pretty?! Tetsu was over-reacting over this!

"I already promised not to do it again." I said to Taiga.

Taiga grumbled. "It's you we are talking about, you know."

I rolled my eyes at him.

I, then, used all my concentration power to look for Tetsu. He can be troublesome at times like this. He'll really make sure no one sees him when he doesn't want to be seen (time-limit considered). He entered the classroom cosplaying Haku from Spirited Away. He also looks good in it. Before he could disappear, I immediately captured him like a Pokemon.

"Tetsu!" I wailed. I was clinging at his neck.

"What are you doing, Maya-san?" He asked.

"Err, hugging you?"

"Right…"

"Are you still angry?" I was pouting for _kawaii_ effect but I just don't know if it's working.

"Did you delete the pictures?" He asked as he stared down at me. The pouting isn't working.

"Uhh…" I averted my eyes. No way will I delete the pictures. Over my dead body! I mean he was so pretty in it (which is HIS POINT why I should, but still-)

"Did you change your wallpaper?" Tetsu meant my phone background. He's (she's) my background. It's the one Ryo took with his phone. I get ridiculously (lustfully) happy when I look at it. Yes. I am not kidding. And it's making Tetsu uncomfortable, but what can I do?!

"Err…"

"Maya-san…" He reprimanded.

"You are so unfair! Why are you only saying that to me? Mika and Toru's wallpaper is also you!" I complained.

"Delete it." Tetsu ordered. Dead-pan. He is really bothered by the cross-dressing issue.

"Waah! No!" I refused.

He stared down at me and I noticed that his eyelashes are long. It's actually attractive. I really like his eyes and it's the first time I saw how irritated his eyes were (which I also liked). He is so scary and creepy; it made me perspire all over. You just can feel the pressure. Gosh!

"I'm so sorry but I really like that picture. Can you let me have it? Please?" I pleaded.

"I don't like that picture."

"But you are so pretty in it. Like a total knock-out! Stately! A real treat! Breath-taking!" I praised.

"Stop!"

"Are you angry?!" I asked again.

Tetsu sighed. "I'm not, but please…"

"So I am forgiven?" I asked.

"Yes, but Maya-san, I want you to delete all the pictures you have of me wearing that…" He said impatiently.

"I'll treat you with a vanilla shake if you overlook this one." I offered, still clinging to his neck. I wanted to keep the pictures. Seriously. Who wouldn't want to keep pictures like that?

"Please delete…"

"Vanilla frappuccino?"

"…the pictures, Maya-san."

"Vanilla frappuccino with double whip cream, venti!"

"Maya-san…" Tetsu said, obviously tempted. One thing I learned is that he really liked vanilla. He craves for it like a pregnant woman. So I know he can't really resist. Oh, yes. I am bribing him.

But when he was close into succumbing, a female voice shrieked at us.

"Gyaa! What are you doing!?" Momoi Satsuki said. From her perspective, I was probably raping Tetsu. She was with Ryo, so from my perspective, they totally look so good together. It's so unfair that they look good all by themselves, and it's more unfair when there are two of them, side by side, together, standing in front of me, telling the whole world that they look good!

"Why are you here?!" I shrieked back.

"Why not?! What are you doing to Tetsu-kun?!" She demanded.

"Can't you see? We are obviously cuddling." I lied. I pulled Tetsu's head closer to me.

"In front of everyone?!" Momoi-san asked appalled.

"No were not." Tetsu said.

I ignored them and glared at Ryo.

"Did you bring her here?" I asked.

"She wanted to come here!" Ryo said raising both his hands in surrender.

"How about you? You don't really need to come today you know." I said nicely.

"I wanted to come and help you guys." He smiled, teeth shining. I wasn't really expecting him to come anymore but he did. He is really a good person. (Or, maybe he just has nothing else to do so he is spending his free time with us.) But nevertheless, I'm starting to feel guilty about abusing him like this. Maybe I should give him a gift this Christmas? Maybe a large mirror so he can look at his gorgeous self all day.

"Tetsu-kun, why aren't you wearing the dress?!" Momoi-san complained at him.

"You sent her Tetsu's picture?" I asked Ryo, scowling.

"I sent it to everyone! Not just her! Everyone wanted to see Kurokocchi!" Ryo defended.

"Kise-kun. Please, die!" Tetsu requested. I think deep down, he really wants Ryo dead.

"Wahh! Kurokocchi! Don't say that!" Ryo cried.

"I won't wear a dress anymore." Tetsu said with conviction.

"I second the motion." Taiga said.

"But why?! I wanted to see you in it so badly!" Momoi-san said.

"I burned it already." Tetsu answered.

"No, he didn't." Mika butted in. "He threw it in the trash!"

"Maya, would you care to introduce us to your lovely friend?" Toru said.

"Why?" I asked. But Mika and Toru glared at me.

"Tsk. Fine. This lovely (snort) girl is Tetsu's friend from middle school. Her name is Momoi-san. And Momoi-san, this is Toru and Mika." I said civilly. Ignore the snort.

"I'm Tetsu's girlfriend." Momoi-san corrected.

Mika and Toru gasped.

"No, you're not. Please stop lying." I countered. "She already has someone."

"Aomine-kun is my childhood friend!" Momoi-san protested.

"I rest my case." I said smiling victoriously.

While Momoi-san keeps pestering Tetsu about wearing a dress, I made her order everything in our menu since it seems that she plans to stay longer. I think she is rich because she doesn't mind at all. And since Aomine-san is her childhood friend, it's only natural that Aomine-san is rich too, right? I mean, he has a million yen worth of porn collections, and he bought me an iPhone. His darkness (I'm talking about his skin color) probably came from salon treatments or something. My point is, they are both rich, so they deserve to be together. Not her and Tetsu. When will she realize this?!

Anyway, it took an hour to make Momoi-san shut up about Tetsu and the dress. And then another annoyance came in our classroom. Suzuka Noa came as a customer and he specifically requested Ryo to sit with him. THAT IS SO GROSS. Ryo actually made a puppy face at me that says he doesn't like to do that.

"I'm sorry Suzuka-san, but Ryo is currently engaged with the pretty lady over there." I pointed to where Momoi-san is seated. I made Ryo sit with her.

"Ok, then. I like us to talk." He said.

"About what?"

"Yesterday? How you introduced me? After all I did for you?"

I really am not into confrontations so this is kind of awkward, especially when he's looking at me like he's stabbing my body a lot of times.

"Let's be clear. All you did for me was to get me lunch. And that was one time." I said.

"Ok. Let me rephrase. After all I did for your friends!" He looked at where Toru and Mika are. Do I need to write what they ask him to do? It's kind of a lot. Like a lot. Just to give you an idea, the two demons literally made him a slave.

"You said you JUST wanted to meet him."

"Yeah. But not in that way! You sabotaged everything."

"It's not like I lied!"

"But you could have said something else! Do you know how rude that is? How rude you are?" Suzuka-san said.

Let me just remind you that he is a good-looking male who is unfortunately a homo.

I guffawed. "Then what do you call yourself? You bullied me! "

Our voices were getting in octave now. Like everyone can practically hear everything we say to each other. He really annoys me.

"Don't use that as a reason!"

"Are you kidding me? Not use it a reason? I could have sued you for that! You should even thank me that I didn't."

I was actually realizing at that moment that I was really angry at him and at his actions and all the bullying. I didn't deserve that. Damn him.

"But I already apologized!" Suzuka-san stood.

"If apology is enough, then 'pay-back' wouldn't have been invented!"

"So this is a pay-back."

"No. You just annoy me. *toot*" I raised an eyebrow at him.

And then Suzuka-san literally tackled me. And both of us went to the ground. It knocked the breath out of me. I can't believe he would do this. I kicked him upward and pushed him off of me and then I stood immediately. He took a hard (plastic) plate from somewhere and threw it at me but I dodged. Trajectory-wise though, if I dodge, the plate would hit Momoi-san. The plate did. And it knocked the sense out of her.

That's when I realized that I am a bad person because I actually laughed at her. But it was a very short laugh. It's not like I am happy that it happened to her.

"Ok. That's enough." Taiga took Suzuka-san's collar and lifted him up.

I took my chance to punch Suzuka-san in the face and he fainted. Wow. I didn't know I was that strong.

"Maya!" Taiga said.

"What?! He deserves that."

"You just punched him." Tetsu said to me.

"I didn't. He hit his face hard on the door."

"He hit his face hard on the door." Toru and Mika said. And so that's what happened to Suzuka-san. If the Student Council finds out the truth, they will totally bring me for detention. I thank you for my friends.

I went to where Momoi-san is. Ryo was steadying her. She didn't faint but she's kind of out of it. She's seeing stars above her head.

"Are you all right?" I inquired.

"Yeah. But I'm a little bit dizzy. Let me rest a bit." Momoi-san said.

"I'm sorry about that. That guy is crazy, you know."

"I've noticed." She said and looked at her watched. "And I have to go anyways." Momoi-san said.

"I'll accompany you." Ryo said. "I don't think you're in a condition to go out alone."

"Yes. Thank you, Ki-chan."

"Okay. But first, please pay for everything you ordered." I said.

They paid and after a few minutes they were gone.

Fast forward.

Things are going well with the café even though Ryo is not there. Every one of us is already celebrating because we are earning big time, so the class president is gracious enough to allow some of us to go around the school to also enjoy the festivities. The first group was me, Taiga, Tetsu, Toru and Mika. The five of us were actually like a circle within a circle and it's a given that we should be together. Since I am the only one who is excited to explore around Seirin (first time, remember) I eagerly went out. And then in the hallways, amidst all the people walking, I easily spotted him right on. Can you believe that the first thing I saw was his mole under his right eye? I am not kidding. Like, I suddenly have this super eyes and that mole attracted my sight. Tatsuya-kun and Musashi were walking toward us. Toward the classroom! Oh my gosh! My heart literally came out from my body. I turned and spread my arms wide to stop the other four from going out the door. They all collided into me.

"Ow. What are you doing?" Mika asked me, crumpled face.

I was stupidly blushing and smiling like crazy. I can't even close my mouth!

"Oh my god. Oh my god!" I panicked.

"What's wrong?" Toru asked.

"They're here!" I squealed.

"Who's here?" Tetsu asked.

I turned and faced Taiga. My eyes are sparkling. "Taiga, I love you!"

He blushed for a bit and then cleared his throat.

"Calm down, ok." He instructed.

"How can I calm down? I can't! Oh my gosh! What should I do?" I said.

"What's happening?" Mika demanded.

"Himuro Tatsuya." Taiga explained in two words.

"Her crush?!" Toru and Mika chorused.

I didn't notice they were already there until Tetsu spoke.

"Hello." Tetsu greeted.

And then the stupid me turned around and ran into them. I thought it was a wall. At least that's what it feels like. My face got squashed into Musashi's abdomen. I think my nose got broken. It's so hard. Harder than Taiga's. I mean, gosh! He is so tall!

"AWWRGHGHHG!" I cried like an animal as I stepped backwards. I was holding my nose.

"Oopps, sorry!" Musashi said with a food in his mouth.

Tatsuya-kun smiled.

"Hello Taiga, Kuroko-kun…" He said. And then he looked at me and then smiled at me. AT ME.

"Hi Maya!" He said.

Just Maya. My face burned with happiness.

"He…hee..hello Tatsuya-kun." I stammered. And then he smiled at me again. And I swallowed my tongue.

"Stop teasing her!" Taiga said.

"But I'm not." Tatsuya-kun said.

And then Taiga smiled. "I can't believe you actually came."

"You invited me after all. And Atsushi sent me an interesting picture." Tatsuya-kun took out his phone and showed Tetsu's picture. Tatsuya-kun pointed Taiga behind Tetsu in the picture.

"This is you right?" He asked Taiga.

"No." Taiga denied, blushing.

"Aww. And I came here solely for the purpose of seeing you like that."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you then!" Taiga said, grinding his teeth.

"I also want Kuro-chin in this dress." Musashi said showing the picture in his phone.

"Delete it in your phone now Murasakibara-kun." Tetsu ordered. He's totally going to kill Ryo. Ryo is the one who sent it to Musashi. No doubt about it.

"Ahem!" Toru said.

"Ahem! Ahem!" Mika said.

The three of us looked at the two of them. I elbowed Taiga to do the introductions.

"Uhm, so, err. These are Shinda Toru and Yoshimura Mika, my friends. This is Himuro Tatsuya and Murasakibara Atsushi." Taiga said.

"Hello, nice to meet you." Mika said. "Himuro-san, I heard good things about you from Maya."

"Oh really." Tatsuya-kun said.

"Yes. And maybe if you'd get to know each other more, I'll hear more." Mika suggested. I nearly stopped breathing.

"Ahaha! That would be nice then." Tatsuya-san said. I stopped breathing.

"Then why don't you…" I covered Mika's mouth.

"Ahahaha!" I laughed.

"Don't say anything to him!" I whispered to Mika.

"I think he likes you."

"Really?"

"Maybe." Mika chuckled.

And then she looked up at Musashi.

"Wow, you're tall." She remarked.

"Murasakibara-san, how tall are you?" Toru asked.

"I am 208 centimeters." Musashi said.

"WOOOOH!" Mika and Toru said.

"And you're shoe size?" Mika asked.

"Why are you asking him that?" I asked them.

Toru and Mika 'sshh'-ed me. The nerve! And I was asking them nicely!

"I'm size 16." Musashi answered them.

Toru practically whispered an incantation. Well, it's actually a mathematical formula.

"16 plus five, divide by 2!" She said.

And then a second later, she gasped. Like she lost oxygen or something.

"10.5!" She told Mika harshly.

"10.5?! Gosh! That's almost..."

And then the two of them bleed. From their noses.

"Eww. What are you doing?!" I asked them.

"I'm sorry Maya, but you are too young for this!" Toru said. And then she started chuckling. Mika followed. Creepy.

I _googled_ this awhile ago. The formula. And you know what I found? It's a formula to calculate the size of the penis (sorry) using shoe-size! I can't believe them! Both of them are perverts! But I mean, damn! 10.5. Wow. And to think Musashi is still growing…

Shit. I'm a pervert as well.

"Would you like to try our café?" Mika then offered to them. Both agreed.

So while Toru and Mika hover around Musashi, I took the chance to take in everything about Tatsuya-kun. I almost forgot how he looks like. I am so ashamed about that. I can't believe I almost forgot the face of who I like. So while he isn't looking at my direction, I stared intently at him.

"Maya, that's creepy. Stop that." Taiga whispered.

We were sitting on a round table with them. Tatsuya and Musashi are in front of me while Tetsu and Taiga are sitting on both my sides. And then Toru from Taiga's and Mika from Tetsu's other sides.

"Shut up. It will be a while to see him again so I am taking this opportunity."

"At least, don't glare!" He hissed,

"I am not glaring."

"You are glaring Maya-san." Tetsu said.

Now my attention is with them. Mouth-open, I look from Taiga to Tetsu.

"Are you two still angry at me?"

"What makes you say that?" Tetsu said.

"You are basically taking my happiness away from me."

"Haha! Are you serious?" Taiga asked. I scowled at him.

"I asked for his number and you didn't give it to me."

"Like I said, I don't have his number!" Taiga said.

"Then, his mailing address!"

"Maya-san, I don't think that would leave a good impression. If you really want Himuro-san's number, I think you should ask him directly." Tetsu said.

"What Kuroko said." Taiga seconded.

"But I am too shy to do that."

"Ok, then let me." Tetsu said bringing my phone out. I paused for a second. Fortunately, before he does anything else, I smacked his hands.

"How did you get that! Give that back to me!" I demanded.

I took my phone but he is gripping it too tightly.

"Tetsu!"

He released the phone. I swiped the screen to check if the wallpaper is still there. It's still Tetsu.

"Tch!" He said.

He just said 'tch! to me. As in TCH! I can't believe it.

"He 'tch' you!" Taiga repeated.

They are idiots and I've wasted a lot of time talking to them instead of staring at Tatsuya-kun. When I returned to look at him, he was looking at us instead. So, there were like TWO seconds of eye contact. I can already shout to the world that I am the happiest girl ever at that moment!

"You three really get along so well." He said.

"Ah well." I said blushing, which totally doesn't mean anything. What I said, that is.

And then he smiled and I got speechless again.

"Tatsuya…" Taiga warned.

He chuckled. "What?! Well, I guess it's time for us to go."

"But you just got here." I said. My first ever sentence.

"We just really wanted to see Taiga and Kuroko-kun in girls' clothes."

"Ah, you can see them; I'll convince them to wear their costumes yesterday."

"NO FUCKING WAY!" Taiga rejected.

"Over my dead body." Tetsu rejected.

"Hahaha. And I can never see them in girls' clothes again." Tatsuya-kun said.

"Ehh, but I want to." Musashi said.

"I'm sorry. They actually hate wearing the dresses." I apologized.

"No need to apologize. At least we got to see you Maya."

"Ehh?!" My eyes got big. What did he just say?

My face got red. What does that mean?

My head exploded. Oh my god.

And then I lost consciousness.

I woke up with them gone.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. Ryo never returned that afternoon. He texted me (with emoticons) that his senpais were in trouble and he needs to help them. What's with him all of a sudden? He's kind of heroic lately.

Oh, and the count is done. Class B is going to get exempted from the exam. Yay! The awarding will be tomorrow.

If Tatsuya-kun likes me, I'll climb Tokyo Tower! I swear. I don't care if I have phobia with heights! I'll definitely climb it.


	20. The Perks of the Zombie Apocalypse

**あけましておめでとう。**

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**Updates will be once a month [?!]**

**So I apologize. This story will go on slowly for a while.**

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**IMPORTANT: **

CHANGE OF POINT OF VIEW.

to

THIRD PERSON.

so...

expect OC-ness

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**The Perks of Zombie Apocalypse**

"_Zombies are people, too...__ Okay,__dead__people, with poor verbal skills. And the only communication they understand is blowing off their heads.__ "_

— _USA Network__ commercial__ for __Night of the Living Dead_

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_**Part 1**_

* * *

_**Prologue:**_

_It's already November and the weather has abruptly changed without any warnings. When it should just have been 'cool', the temperature has gone to 'extremely cold'. At least, that's what Kagami Taiga feels. _

_And he is even inside a house - somewhere where it should be 'warm'. _

_Yet he is freezing to death. _

_Literally._

_Because, it's not his house to begin with._

_The crazy thing about all these things is that he is sweating. It's a cold sweat that Kagami doesn't like to experience ever again._

_Beside him is Kuroko, as still and unmoving as a stone. Behind him were the other members of the Basketball Club. He may not see them, but Kagami swears all of them share the same feelings._

_All of them are trembling in fear as they kneel in front of Maya's parents._

_Maya's father is tall and kind-looking. He looks very smart but he's on a little bit going on the aging side as proven by all the white hairs on his head. He is smiling at them, kindly, in an attempt to make them all feel comfortable. But unfortunately, his wife sitting beside him, Maya's mother, is making that impossible. Maya's mother is beautiful. She wears her hair long and looks very sophisticated. Kagami wish that is all to describe her. Now, he understands where Maya got her evil side. Maya's mother's gaze is actually enough to put them all to hell! She is that scary. In fact, she is probably the scariest person Kagami has ever met in his life! _

_And speaking of scary, there is one happening right now. He glances on his left-side. There's a window wall that allows you to see the family garden. And in the garden, Kagami can see Maya looking at and talking to the flowers while smiling. The sight could just make him sweat more. It's so scary that he'd rather look at her parents than her. For god's sakes, Maya is looking at the flowers like they're precious stones! That is definitely not normal. What's normal is her looking at the erotic magazines in their clubroom, not at the flowers. Well, he didn't exactly know if she's doing that, but that kind of thing is definitely like Maya. And even though it's embarrassing to admit, Kagami would really be very happy to see her like that now._

_Everything is too much for him. He needs to go to the rest room right this second or he is going to piss on himself._

_Seriously._

…

_Kuroko Tetsuya can't look at her. She's not normal. No human understanding and knowledge could explain her presence._

_Maya's mother can see him, more than Izuki-senpai and even Kazunari Takao-san._

_Even though he is using everything in his power to misdirect every attention from him, she still sees him. All he could do is to look at the cream-colored ceramic tile floor and stare at it. But his hair on the neck still stands. Maya's mother is gazing at his neck! This situation is extremely awkward and uncomfortable._

_Unfortunately or fortunately, he can't really decide, there is something wrong with Maya. It's not entirely bad, if he is being honest to himself. If all of them were being honest to themselves, that 'something wrong' makes them a little bit happy - actually._

_But they know Maya._

_They know her._

_That's why they know there's something wrong._

_She's the person who unconsciously, as what Kuroko actually thinks - in good faith, makes them not really that happy. But that's the kind all of them, Kuroko is sure, prefer her to be._

_Right now, she's not herself._

_And it's his fault._

_Well, partly._

_That's why all Seirin High Basketball Club is kneeling in front of her parents._

_It's awkward._

_It's uncomfortable._

_It's nerve-wracking._

_It's scary._

_Especially Maya's mother._

* * *

**Number Six:**

This is awesome! Koganei can only express how his excitement is in those three words. Aside from the fact that this is the first Halloween Party he has ever attended to in his 17 years of his life, it was also his first time dressing up like a zombie. It was beyond cool! He has only watched the zombies in movies and games and never really thought of being one someday. Not that he wanted to. But it's awesome! Especially the disgusting, rotting flesh in his left cheek that looks so real! There's even something gooey coming out from it when you press it. It's so gross that he doesn't even want to touch it himself. The make-up artist in the Zombie Booth really did a great job. They are now walking in the middle of the street in Maya-chan's subdivision like they own it. All were zombies except for Aida-san and Maya-chan, of course, who dressed up on their own preference which is sort of unfair since they don't look disgusting, but then no one in his right mind would complain to them about that - for reasons known to everyone. As for the spirit of Halloween, every front yard in the neighborhood was decorated with scarecrows and pumpkin heads. And the only thing he was doing was to cry in awe every time because, well, it's…awesome. One particular front yard caught all their attention though. It was covered with blood - the grasses are red, the trees are red, and there are human intestines on the bushes surrounding the house - which by the way is also covered in blood. It looked like a blood bath has just occurred there. How the residents have done that, Koganei doesn't know. Aside from being freaky, it's creepy and really scary, but Koganei keep staring at it anyway.

"Holy!" Koganei bursts out as he stared at the creepy front-yard.

"Bwahaha! Feast with your eyes on the awesomeness of my front yard!" Maya-chan said. Her nose released puffs of bragging smokes.

"Wahh! This is your front yard?!" Koganei asked in awe - again, although he is not really that shocked that the front-yard belongs to Maya-chan. He was more likely expecting that it's theirs. She's the only girl he knew who liked gore stuffs. Koganei guessed that it is due to her being a _gaijin _or something. Maya-chan nodded.

"I actually wanted to add human arms and legs and heads here and there but Dad said I am over-killing it." She said disappointedly.

"Where on earth did you get this?" Kagami-kun lifted the intestine on one of the bushes and held it in front of them. It's secreting some kind of fluid and all of them flinched in disgust.

"It looks real, _desho_? I got it in a thrift shop at Harajuku."

"You went to Harajuku just to buy these things?" Koganei asked.

"_Hai_!"

"You're Dad is right Maya, you are over-killing it." Kagami-kun said to her.

"Whatever. I don't need you tell me that." Maya-chan sneered at Kagami-kun.

"Oi, oi! What's with that kind of attitude?!" Kagami-kun asked.

"I told you to invite Tatsuya-kun! You didn't!" She accused.

"Well, I told you to invite him yourself!"

"Can't you understand a maiden's heart?!"

"Maiden? You?! Hahahahaha! Are you kidding me?!" Kagami-kun laughed mockingly. Maya-chan eyed him icily.

Seconds later, she punched Kagami-kun in the stomach, and he almost landed on his butt. It's the first time they saw that, so they all cried in astonishment. The freshmen even clapped their hands. Usually, Maya-chan's punch is ineffective against Kagami-kun.

"What the hell!" Kagami-kun said in shock holding his stomach.

"Hohoho! Tetsu taught me his _Ignite Pass_ and I thought of using it as self-defense." Maya-chan explained.

"Kuroko! How many times have I told you, you don't have to listen to her!" Kagami-kun reprimanded Kuroko-kun who suddenly appeared among them – now that he is noticed.

"I am sorry, but she forced me to do it." Kuroko-kun said in monotone.

Maya-chan gasped. "I did not!"

"Maya-san, please don't lie."

"All I did was to give you a vanilla shake!"

Ignoring the three of them since they are practically like that every day, Koganei stared at Maya-chan's house. Foreigners really prefer big houses and uses up too much space. Aside from that, they spend too much on unnecessary things. It's amazing! He then saw three middle school-ers in Halloween costumes came out from the house.

"Hey Maya-chan, a group of kids came out from…" Koganei said as he turned to look at Maya-chan. He wished he hadn't though. Close-up and in slow-mo, he saw how Maya-chan's face got distorted as she was hit by a water balloon. Like the Picasso-distortion, minus the abstract sense of philosophy. It was horrifying! He even heard her "Nooo!" in slow-motion.

He was going to have nightmare about that, he's sure of it.

"Uhahh!" Koganei cried in horror.

And then Kagami-kun got hit, followed by the rest of the Seirin Basketball Club. And then he got hit.

The water is red paint.

"Hahaha! Trick or treat!" The group of kids shouted.

"Robin!" Maya-chan shrieked. It was a scary shriek. Actually, every time Maya-chan shrieks, it's scary. If she shrieked at him like that, Koganei would run for his life. Maya-chan's demon-form is worse than Aida-san.

The group of kids ran, but they are laughing.

"That's water-based!" The kid in the middle yelled. They turned into a corner and were eventually gone from their sight.

They wipe the paint off their faces.

"Oh god, I am so sorry for my stupid brother." Maya-chan apologized.

"Hahaha, don't worry. We actually look more like a zombie with this red paint." Kiyoshi said. The rest of them agreed with him.

Just then, the atmosphere changed. A pretty, long haired woman came out from Maya's house. Koganei's mouth opened in wonder.

"Ma! Look what Robin did to us!" Maya-chan said to the pretty woman.

Ok. Now, that was a shock! Koganei didn't expect the woman to be Maya-chan's mother. She looked too young to have a child as old as them.

"You know your brother." She said.

"No I don't!"

"Oh, hush! Are these all your friends?!"

All of them greeted Maya's mother good-evening. She acknowledged them by smiling.

"Yes, they are all my friends." Maya-chan said emphasizing the word 'all'.

"Is that so? I guess they will do then."

"Mom, what do you mean?"

"Hohoho! I need a pair of hands to help me."

"What?"

"It's still too early anyway."

"What do you mean help?"

"Children, will you help me?"

"Mom!"

"You will help me right!?" Maya's mother looked at them.

Koganei saw a black aura surrounding her and all the hair in Koganei's body stood.

All of them don't have a choice but to nod.

She is Maya's mother after all.

* * *

**Number Four:**

As it turned out, the caterer back-out at the last minute so Maya's mother is in a pinch. They have to make food for the entire community. All they needed to do is to cook food, which by the way is roughly for 250 people, including guests. And they are starting from scratch. Aside from being 'impliedly' forced to do it, they are on a time constraint since they should have finished cooking on or before 9:00 p.m.

That is actually negotiable.

What's alarming is that Riko volunteered to cook. No one aside from her and Kagami knows how to cook. And Maya refused to help them claiming that the only thing she knows to do was to fry foods. Hyuuga thought that sounds stupid because he knows Maya can definitely cook. She can really be stubborn and lazy. And she chose to be one at a time like this.

Hyuuga was actually scared and nervous. He is going to take part in the murder of 250 people, unless of course he prevents Riko from stepping inside the kitchen which, by the way, is suicide. He tapped Maya's shoulder.

"Maya! We need to talk!" Hyuuga whispered.

"What is it Hyuuga-sempai?" Maya whispered back.

"Riko volunteered to cook." Hyuuga said.

"And?"

"She will cook!" Hyuuga pressed, desperately.

"I do understand your concern Hyuuga-sempai, but Mom already gave her a thumbs-up."

"You do know what kind of foods she cooks, right?!"

"Hehe, don't worry. I already asked Taiga to help them." Maya said in finality.

"How does that solve anything?"

"Aida-sempai will cook for the adult's party while Taiga will cook for our party." Maya explained.

Hyuuga looked at her, confused. He, sometimes, doesn't understand what she is saying.

"If there's anyone dying, that would be the old people." Maya said bluntly.

He would have grabbed her shoulder and shook her violently except he didn't. He could never do that to her anyway. Instead he slapped his forehead. He forgot that Maya is crazy!

"Maya, please take this seriously."

"I am taking this seriously."

"What are the two of you talking about?" Kiyoshi butted in.

"We are talking about how to kill everyone." Hyuuga said sardonically.

"Really?!" Kiyoshi said innocently.

"No, of course not, idiot!" Hyuuga snapped at him.

"Hyuuga-sempai wants to save everyone from Aida-sempai's cooking." Maya said.

"Ohh! That's a big responsibility." Kiyoshi said.

"I think so too." Maya agreed.

"Why not just tell her directly not to cook?" Kiyoshi advised.

"Let me see you do that." Hyuuga said.

Kiyoshi smiled and looked at the other way. "…I'd rather jump off from a building."

"I can't believe I'd agree with you about that." Hyuuga sighed.

"That's so rude! Aida-sempai enjoys cooking, you know." Maya pouted at them.

"I dare you to eat her food, then." Hyuuga challenged her.

Maya looked at the other way. "I'd rather jump off from a building."

The three of them look at each other.

"That's really a well-made rotting flesh." Maya commented on their make-up out of the blue.

A heavy pause followed. He can't really get what she means.

Maya cleared her throat in embarrassment.

"Anyway, you better think of a way fast because Aida-sempai already entered the kitchen." She said.

They froze on the spot for a second, taking the gruesomeness of the situation in. When Hyuuga got his composure back, he pushed his glasses in place. Maya 'ohh-ed' at him for some reason and her eyes sparkled. That actually boosted some confidence in Hyuuga.

"Kiyoshi and I will make sure she will not put anything strange on the food. That's the only thing we can do." Hyuuga said heroically, looking at the horizon.

"Ehh?" Kiyoshi said in protest.

"Are you sure?" Maya asked them. "We can still let the old people die, you know."

"I am sure. And please have a conscience, Maya."

"I have a conscience!" She said.

"Maya!" Maya's mother called. "I need you here."

"Just a minute!" Maya said.

And then Maya saluted at them. "I wish you both luck then, senpais! Please come back alive."

They already came back. They are zombies, for goodness sakes'. Hyuuga could just laugh at the irony.

* * *

**Number Nine:**

Tsuchida isn't good with scary stuffs. That's why he's not really ecstatic about this Halloween Party that Maya-chan invited them to. Just look at her front yard! Tsuchida can't imagine how a human could arrange something gore like that! Even though he knew it's not real, it's still enough to make him shudder. And then Maya-chan's mother came out. When she told them to help her, he immediately agreed. When Maya's mother asked him, Koganei-san, Mitobe-san and the freshmen to prepare the youth party in the house two streets away, he immediately followed. He just knows how to discern someone scary from someone whose not.

Maya-chan went with them. The house is large. No expensive furniture except for the sound system set-up in the backyard. There's also a pool. And there are spot lights and other things he doesn't know but he guessed needed for a House Halloween Party. Tsuchida thinks all is good and can't think of anything more to do.

"Ok guys, there are around a hundred teenagers in the neighborhood, so you know, if you could do something about that." Maya-chan said.

"A hundred?!" Tsuchida repeated.

"Yeah, Mom actually wanted you all to be a doorman and control all of them. So I'll tour you around and tell you the off-limit rooms."

"Is this house occupied?" Kawahara-san asked.

"Nope, that's why they are letting us use it."

"Wow, I'm amazed that your parents allowed us to have a party." Fukuda-san remarked.

"That's what you think; they just wanted us to be contained in one place so they can easily monitor us while they are having fun on the other side." Maya-chan said bitterly. "We can't even call this a party! They did not allow us to drink alcohol."

"Uhh, technically, we're not supposed to drink alcohol because we are still underage." Koganei said.

"I know that Koga-sempai, but who on earth would actually follow that?" she said.

Tsuchida would have said "Me." but he kept it to himself.

"Maya-san, do you drink?" Furihata-san asked her.

"No. But if we get lucky, this will be my first time." She answered with a grin and determination.

"I don't think that's right, Maya-chan…" Tsuchida said. Mitobe nodded and Koganei agreed with him. Being a senpai, he supposed he is responsible for his kohais, and that includes Maya-chan who can really turn a little bit crazy sometimes. Well, okay, a lot of times. Mitobe and Koganei must feel the same thing that's why their brows are furrowed with worry.

Maya-chan continued touring them around the house. Three rooms in the second floor are off-limits and one room in the first floor.

"So that's it, I'm sorry you have to put up with this. You can go trick-or-treat in the neighborhood if you want. Just be here before 9." Maya-chan said.

"You are leaving us here?!" Furihata-san asked.

"Err, yeah. Toru and Mika just arrived, so I have to go see them." Maya-chan said, lifting her phone in front of them.

And thus, the six of them were left alone in the house.

* * *

**Number Fifteen:**

A few hours has gone by, the house is one by one being populated by fellow teenagers. Most of them were middle schoolers. Some were high schoolers like them. A few were already in college. Kawahara got to be in-charge in the first floor together with Furihata-san. He was excited for the party to start because it's his first time. He was touring around, for the sake of something to do, waiting for the party to start, when a strange sound caught his attention. It's coming from the kitchen. He went to see what it was, only to find out the three kids who threw red paints at them earlier. One of them, as he learned, is Maya-chan's little brother. The three of them are crouched in a corner fiddling some bottles. In the kitchen table is the biggest bowl of orange juice Kawahara has ever seen. It's occupying half of the table.

"Err, excuse me…" He said.

The three kids gasps in surprise and turned to face him.

"Oh! _Konbanwa, onii-san_!" The kid in the middle said. "Uhm, my Mom told me to prepare the drinks!"

"You must be Maya-chan's brother?"

"Yep. My name is Robin." He smiled broadly.

"I'm Kawahara. Erm, do you need help?" He offered.

"NO!" The three of them said in chorused. Robin-san cleared his throat.

"What we meant is, we can do this on our own. Thank you for the offer _onii-san_."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

The three kids nodded vigorously.

"Ah, ok then." Kawahara said. He was about to turn back when he smelled a strange and strong scent. It isn't bad but it isn't pleasing to the nose either.

"What is that smell?" He asked.

The three boys huddled close together.

"Oh! That must be the aroma of the orange juice. It came from overseas so, you know, it isn't that nice!" Robin-san explained.

"Ok, then, if you say so." Kawahara said and left the room with this strange, nagging feeling that something is off.

* * *

**A Certain Bird:**

That was close! He would be dead if someone finds out what the three of them has been doing. And he can't risk that. After all the trouble he went through to get the one case of vodka from their house. He put his life in the line just to get those.

"Pour all of it in the juice, I don't think they'll taste the difference." Robin said to Cody and Carl.

"Are you sure about this?!" Cody asked.

"Idiot! I thought you want to drink liquor?" Robin asked his friend

"Yeah, but we stole all these!" Cody said.

"That's why we have to get rid of it, ASAP."

"Cody, just do it!" Carl hissed as he opens the bottle.

Cody poured the vodkas into the bowl.

"How do we know if it could get us drunk?!"

"It wouldn't be called an alcohol if it wouldn't!" Robin answered his friend exasperatedly.

"But!"

"Will you shut up!?" Robin and Carl said in chorus.

After they had filled the vodka in the big bowl, they got rid of the evidence of what they stole.

"Ok. Who would taste it first?" Robin asked. The three of them are glaring down at the bowl of orange juice. No stench are coming out from it, which is good. The only problem is the taste.

"Err, I don't like to taste it first." Cody said.

"Me, neither." Carl said.

Obviously, no one wanted to taste the 'juice'.

And then Robin saw one of Maya's friends came down from the second floor of the house. He took a paper cup and filled it with the intoxicated orange juice.

"Here, let's see if he could taste the alcohol!" Robin said with a wide grin in his face.

* * *

**Number Eight:**

Mitobe came down to go to the rest room, but midway, he was stopped by a kid dressed in a cloak. If he's not mistaken, he is Maya-chan's brother - the one who threw red paints at them.

"Hello, onii-san! Would you like a drink?!" Maya-chan's brother said and offered him the orange juice he was holding.

Mitobe nodded and smiled at him. He is too kind to offer him something. Mitobe took the paper cup and drank all of it.

And then he can't remember anything what happened after.

* * *

**Number Seven:**

Kiyoshi felt exhausted. He and Hyuuga can now be called martyrs. They've eaten up all the food that they can handle. He thought it would be fun, but who was he kidding?! It was Riko who cooked the food. He felt like dying. He's just thankful that everything is over.

Or so he thought.

Another dilemma has occurred that they have to face.

The Halloween Party.

Maya's mother let them be free at exactly 9:00pm. At least that's what it feels like to Kiyoshi. They'd finished all the cooking on time and everyone who helped actually felt accomplished for some reason. He, Hyuuga, Izuki, Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun headed straight to the house party.

And when they arrived, anyone can actually tell that all the kids are drunk.

The music plays too loud. The kids dance exaggeratedly.

And everyone talks too loud.

It was chaos.

"Jeez! It's too early to get drunk!" Kagami-kun said.

"Ehm, that's not the point here, Kagami-kun." Kuroko-kun said. "I don't think they are supposed to get drunk."

"Eek, I guess you're right. What the hell happened?" Kagami-kun asked.

"Oi! Tsuchida, Koga! Mitobe!" Kiyoshi shouted as they rounded the house.

"We're here!" Tsuchida yelled from a corner.

All of them went where Tsuchida is. He is with Kawahara-kun and Fukuda-kun. They are in front of the rest room.

"What happened?" Kiyoshi asked.

"Everyone is drunk!" Tsuchida cried helplessly.

"We know that! What we meant is how?" Hyuuga said.

"I don't know. It must be the foods? Or the drinks? I don't know!" Tsuchida cried again.

"Haha! I didn't know that food can get you drunk." Kiyoshi said.

"Get serious, Kiyoshi!" Hyuuga said, punching him.

"And Mitobe-senpai! He won't get out from the rest room. He's been there for an hour now!" Kawahara-kun said in panic.

"_Ma_, _ma_, let's all calm down." Kiyoshi said with a smile.

"Oh my god, Maya's mother is going to kill us!" Fukuda-san said, trembling. "Everyone's out of control!"

"Where are the others?" Kagami-kun asked them.

"Koga-sempai is in the living room. He's also drunk! I don't know where Furihata-san is." Kawahara-kun said, now crying.

"Where's Maya-chan?" Kiyoshi asked.

"We don't know!" The three of them cried.

Hyuuga pressed his hand on his temple and sighed.

"Okay, first, we have to control these kids and then we'll worry about the others later." Hyuuga instructed.

But before they could answer Hyuuga, the humongous crowd of kids outside cheered getting their attention. All of them went outside. The drunk and tipsy kids were looking up. They craned their necks upward only to find three kids on the rooftop. The three are attempting to jump from there to the inflatable beside the pool.

"Oh, jeezus!" Hyuuga said.

"Oi! That's dangerous!" Kagami-kun shouted. But it was futile since the crowd is cheering the three stupid kids.

"Oh my god! That's Maya's brother!" Kawahara-kun said, holding his face in panic.

"Maya's mother will definitely kill us!" Fukuda-kun yelled, now on his knees.

"Kiyoshi, Fukuda! Get those fucking kids out-of-there!" Hyuuga said, finally snapping. "Kuroko! Get me a mic! Izuki, Tsuchida, Kawahara and Kagami, control these kids!"

"Control, how?!" Tsuchida squeaked.

"THINK OF SOMETHING, MORON!" Hyuuga said, snapping.

"Oh, boy." Was all Kiyoshi could say.

* * *

**Number Thirteen:**

Fukuda never thought a party could be chaotic like this. He and Kiyoshi-senpai are now on the rooftop trying to stop Maya-chan's brother and his friends from jumping. He was so scared. He can't stop himself from trembling. And it's so windy, he can't even walk properly. He's dizzy and maybe a little tipsy. This is too dangerous for him!

"Kiyoshi-senpai…" Fukuda called as he crawled on the roof.

"Hahaha! Bear with it Fukuda-kun." Kiyoshi-senpai said to him.

"Oi! Excuse me!" Kiyoshi-senpai called to the three kids. They turned to face them.

"_Konbanwa!" _Kiyoshi-senpai greeted.

The three just stared at them drunkenly.

"If I were you, I wouldn't jump." Kiyoshi-senpai said calmly.

"Why?" Said the kid on the right.

"Because the onii-san down there will kill the three of you if you did." Kiyoshi-senpai said, smiling at them. Fukuda suddenly got confused. He can't understand where Kiyoshi-senpai is going with this.

The kid in the middle, who is Maya's brother, laughed.

"Whatever! We are going to jump and that's all there is to it!" He said arrogantly. The three of them turned and was about to jump.

"No!" Fukuda shouted.

Kiyoshi-senpai ran after them in the roof.

"Hehe, we are just kidd…" Maya's brother was about to say as he turned, but was stopped by Kiyoshi-senpai.

The three kids screamed as Kiyoshi-senpai tackled the three of them.

The crowds in the ground cheered. It was deafening.

The four of them vanished from Fukuda's sight.

They jump from the roof with Kiyoshi-senpai.

Well, ok.

Kiyoshi-senpai technically pushed them to fall.

_Oh, my god!_

Fukuda is going to have a heart attack.

* * *

**Number Five:**

After Kiyoshi and the three kids fell into the inflatable and bounced toward the pool, the crowd followed. Most of them dived to the pool with their costumes and make-up on which eventually turned the water murky and dark. This would have been fun, except it aggravated Hyuuga more, and so he plugged the cord out of the sound-system and turned the microphone that Kuroko-kun gave him. From his vantage point, Izuki can see all that's happening – thanks to his Eagle Eyes.

"YOU FUCKING MORONS! IF YOU WON'T GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, I'M GOING TO BEAT THE HELL OUT OF ALL OF YOU!" Hyuuga screamed at the top of his lungs which silenced everyone. With all the decayed flesh on his face and the way he looks, of course, it would make everyone stop.

A heartbeat later, someone screamed inside the house. They went to see what it's all about only to find Mitobe all drunk and emitting a very, very, scary aura. His hands are dropped down, pulled by gravity and well, his eyes are shining red with all the veins in his retina. He is swaying left and right. No one dared to get close to him. Until Koganei, who is also drunk, appeared out of nowhere and declared a battle against Mitobe. Point one second later, Mitobe was breaking Koganei's back with his knee.

"WAHHHHHH!" Koganei screamed. Smokes came out from Mitobe's mouth.

All of them were sweating in fear now.

"This is getting out of hand…" Kagami-kun remarked.

Tsuchida, being brave, called out to Mitobe.

"Mitobe, can you let Koganei go now…" He said. "He might die…"

Mitobe looked at him. Point one second later, the one Mitobe's holding above is head; bended in inverted 'U' is Tsuchida, crying. The kids who saw this ran outside the house to save themselves.

It's the first time they saw Mitobe drunk so they don't know how to handle the situation. The people left inside the house are all Seirin Basketball Club members.

Mitobe threw Tsuchida who safely landed on the couch, unconscious. Mitobe was growling some incomprehensible sounds, which by the way are the first sounds they heard coming from him.

"_Kowaii!_" Kawahara-san said and ran. Mitobe, in a flash, caught him and then threw him using just one hand.

"Holy shit!" Kagami-kun cried in horror and started running upstairs. Izuki followed Kagami-kun, together with Hyuuga and Kuroko-kun.

Mitobe followed them. Like a zombie.

* * *

**A Certain Mangaka:**

They just collected a lot of trick-or-treat candies that's why Mika is very happy. She did enjoy ringing the doorbells and asking for candies just like the other children. This is actually a good reference for her manga. The three of them were about to attend the said Halloween Party when a lot of obviously drunk middle school-ers were running away from the house.

"What the hell?!" Maya said in shock.

Toru pulled a girl from the crowd.

"Oi, you, tell us what happened." She ordered.

"A man is killing people inside!" The girl screamed and then ran away from Toru's grip.

"Ohokay… Let's hope she is exaggerating." Maya said.

"I thought alcohol isn't allowed in the party?!" Mika asked Maya.

"It isn't!"

"Well, that girl is obviously drunk!" Mika said as a matter-of-factly.

"I can see that Mika!" Maya said. "If I know they're going to bring some liquor, then we would have gotten here earlier!"

"More than the liquor, I'm actually interested with what's happening right now." Toru said. Mika and Maya agreed with her, so the three of them went around the house into the backyard. The front door is filled with the kids going out in panic.

The backyard is also filled with drunken kids; most of them were now lying on the ground. Some were floating in the dark pool.

"Oh god, that's disgusting!" Mika said.

"Are they alive?" Toru asked.

"What the hell is happening?" Maya yelled. "Oh god, Mom is going to kill me!"

Mika went inside the house. Toru followed. The two of them found three of Seirin's Basketball Players on the floor. The three of them were writhing in pain.

"Ugh…" Mika said.

"I don't think that's the proper reaction, Mika." Toru said. She then grabbed Kawahara-san by the neck.

"Oi, tell me who did this to you!" Toru demanded from the poor boy.

"I don't think that's what we should be doing." Mika told her.

Kawahara-san, although conscious, cannot speak so he pointed his index finger upward instead, just when they heard a "KABLAG!"

Toru and Mika looked at each other, assessing if they're going-up to see the culprit or ignore it.

"Are we going or…" Toru asked her.

Mika did not answer, instead she said:

"Eh? Where's Maya?"

* * *

**The Coach:**

She already knew that handling boys will be a lot of pain in the ass, but she never really expected that it would be something like the one she's seeing right now.

She entered through the front door ignoring the drunken kids and saw Mika-chan and Toru-chan in the living room.

"What happened?"

"We don't know senpai, but they are upstairs." Mika-chan said to her, meaning the culprits.

Aida Riko bravely went up the stairs and saw a crazy and drunk Mitobe and the four scared boys in the veranda.

She sighed with annoyance, irritation and anger.

* * *

**Number Twelve:**

He felt light-headed. It must have been because of the orange juice. He just went out and lay on the ground to rest. He must have slept because when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Mitobe-senpai throwing Kawahara-kun away using just one hand. That was scary! And then everyone ran and he doesn't understand anything anymore.

And then he saw Maya-san. The Seirin Manager is always with Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun which is kind of envious. The three of them are always together. They are always together, every day, even on weekends! He wanted to be with the cute manager of the Basketball Club too! Just what happened to him joining basketball and then getting close with the manager and then finally having a girlfriend?! That's what supposed to happen, yet, he's just there, standing, all alone.

And then something possessed him. It filled him with courage and strength. And so he walked towards her and called her name.

"Maya-san!"

"Oh, Furihata-san! What the hell happened here?!" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uhh…" Her question rendered him speechless. He forgot that she's kind of scary too. And besides, he has no idea what is also happening.

"Where are the senpais?" she asked. "Where's Taiga and Tetsu?"

"Uhh…"

"Ugh, don't tell me, you're drunk too…" she said.

Before Furihata can answer, they heard a scream. It's coming from the veranda in the second floor. He and Maya looked up only to find Hyuuga-senpai, Izuki-senpai, Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun huddled together.

The one who screamed was Kagami-kun.

"Oi! Taiga! Tetsu!" Maya called.

And the next thing Furihata knew, he was seeing a pot falling directly to Maya's head.

"UHHH…" He said.

Yes. He is drunk.

* * *

**Number Ten:**

Mitobe-senpai is scary as hell when he's drunk. He got super human strength! Mitobe-senpai almost got him! The four of them were now cornered in the veranda. He was thinking for a solution on how to escape this situation when Maya's voice jolted him out of his thinking process. Apparently, Maya has that kind of talent – appearing in a very crucial moment and putting them more in danger.

Because of the shock, his elbow, or was it Kuroko's, he is not even sure, involuntarily pushed the small pot off the veranda.

"Ahh!" Kuroko said as he tried to catch it as it falls. He wasn't able to.

Kagami was thankful for his big hands because he was able to grab the plant. But unfortunately, the clay pot slipped off, leaving him with the plant and its soil.

The pot hit Maya's head, breaking into pieces.

And for some reason, he shuddered. That wasn't good at all. His throat suddenly went dry. It was worse than Mitobe-senpai getting drunk.

"Oh shit!" Kagami cried.

* * *

**Number Eleven:**

It was probably his elbow.

He is not sure.

But for consolation, it was just a small pot. Without the soil and the plant.

Considering where it fell, though, Kuroko guessed the size doesn't matter. Maya-san lay there, unconscious.

Furihata-san appeared and went to Maya-san.

"How is she?!" Izuki-senpai called down.

"I..uhh…I'm not sure, senpai!" Furihata-said.

A lot of things are going in his head right now, and while Kagami-kun keeps saying "Oh shit, oh shit!", Kuroko is sure that it's the first time in his life that he sweated all the water in his body.

He gulped.

Because it was probably his elbow.

"We still have a pressing matter in front." Hyuuga-senpai called for attention.

The four of them faced Mitobe-senpai. He walked towards them. They are completely trapped. They are all praying right now to be saved. And then suddenly, a hand grabbed Mitobe-senpai's head and threw him somewhere.

Aida-senpai appeared with darkened eyes.

"I think it just gotten a lot worse." Izuki-senpai said.

"We are so dead." Hyuuga-senpai said.

Kuroko can't agree with him more.

* * *

_to be continued..._


	21. The Perks of Being a Teenager

**So, I read your reviews. Please keep on reviewing. :P**

**lol **If Maya see this...

. /da393fd2c330873ed05a5c5cdc19 c683/tumblr_mgoc1zoMNV1r5qii0o1_

_- Wah! I want to see that, but I can't access the address. Gyuu. :(_

**Guest **You keep on going back in forth with "sempai" and "senpai," the correct one is "senpai" if you follow the hiragana here in the parentheses...

**_- _**_If you noticed, Maya's the only one who calls her se'n'pai, se'm'pai. It seems that she can't pronounce the 'n' when the senpai is a -suffix to a name. I don't know why._

**Guest **you do know Takao Kazunari, Takao is the surname and Kazunari is the first name.

_- OMG. Yes, I'm sorry about that. Please, point more mistakes. :3 Its greatly appreciated._

* * *

_Next Chapter: We are back on Maya's POV.  
_

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Teenager**

_"Teenage hormones plus a few hot guys equals Barbie blood bath."_  
_― Veronica Wolff, Isle of Night_

**PART 2**

* * *

**A Certain Journalist - on her Certain _e_-Journal:**

**_Entry #257_**_ November 6_

_It is the duty of the writer as a journalist to write about a strange event that all started on the night of October 30th in a certain subdivision involving certain people. To say that it is a tragedy is an understatement. The humbled writer can clearly say that upon the celebration of this certain event, it caused a lot-of-headaches to the people who participated the morning after. Although most parents were glad because their children now cursed the unidentified alcoholic beverage, other parents got mad for all the trouble they had caused, i.e. the most noticeable among them: vomits - everywhere._

_It ended quite all right, except, to a family and a group of teen-age boys (age ranging from 16-17), who both settled the matter yesterday (November 5) in a very serious manner. The 'matter' is the strange event which was mentioned above._

_The 'strange event' is the person sitting beside the writer as of this moment._

**_Name: Maya_**

**_Age: 16_**

**_Race: Unknown_**

_She's a dear friend of the writer, who upon waking-up the morning of October 31st showed signs of altered behavior which scared the wits out of everyone. Their family doctor said that it is a "**very** mild case of post-concussion syndrome" (refer to Google for explanation)._

_A very concrete example is with how she is eating her lunch right now. Usually, Maya would use her hands to eat the chicken leg but now she is using a spoon and fork as her medium._

_Upon further observation, the writer noted some present behaviors which are not the (obviously speaking) characteristics of the subject which includes: Modesty, Kindness, Warmth, Sensitivity, Sincerity, Politeness and other seemingly lady-like traits._

_Most disturbing __of which is the **in**crease in her **Sex Appeal** and **Female Pheromones**. (Discussed in Entry #254 to #256)_

_These behaviors caused everyone to spew profanities out of their mouths due to pure shock and astonishment._

_N.B. (If a small pot can cause someone to act like this, then the writer must try and hit her own head with it.)_

_..._

* * *

**Excerpt: Toru Shinda's Journal:_ Entry #254 _**_November 03_

_A day has passed since the accidental pot-dropping on the writer's friend. The only sign that she received a blow in the head was the pink band-aid on her forehead. The writer received the news that she is suffering from a behavior change syndrome (XshitX_)_. The writer can't remember if her friend even likes pink. Is this the behavior change that they are talking about?!_

_And what's this hallucination that the writer is experiencing? The writer is seeing flowers in her friend's background._

_Maybe the writer really is hallucinating._

_All the boys in the classroom are blushing when they see her._

_And the writer means ALL._

_What the (XfuckX) on earth is this phenomenon?_

_...  
_

Victim #1

Kagami was caught off-guard. Maya came to the classroom changed. Well. He actually knew about the disorder she is suffering right now, partly because it's his fault, but still he was caught off-guard. She, for the first time, wears her uniform properly and her hair is fixed in this girly-way which isn't like her but it suits her anyway.

Kagami shook his head. What the fuck is he thinking?! He actually thought Maya looks good.

He puts a fist over his mouth. The realization shook him.

Oh god, he actually thought she looks pretty! Well, ok, she is actually pretty-decent looking, but HE thought she is pretty. That is a VERY different thing!

"Kagami-kun, are you blushing?!" Toru asked him as she looked at him incredulously.

"Pwha!? Ha? What are you talking about?" Kagami said, a little bit loudly.

"Err, it's just that your face is red and you're staring at Maya." She said.

"N..nn. I am not staring at her! Why would I stare at her?" Kagami stuttered."Wo…who would stare at her?"

"Good morning, Toru-chan, Mika-chan, Taiga-kun and Tetsu-kun." Maya said in a very soft and moderate manner, it gave Kagami the creeps or something. An electric shock went through his body. She never greeted them good morning! Usually it's just, "Hey!"or "Oi!".

He, Toru and Mika stared at Maya with an open-mouth while Kuroko stared at Maya stupidly in his own way. Even their classmates were stupefied by her change.

Victim #2

Before lunch break, the news about a cute freshman spread around Seirin High like a bacteria. This does not escape the ears of Noa Suzuka, who is, contrary to the rumors, actually a straight guy. It just happens that he has a feminine-side and idolizes Kise Ryouta all at the same time. Hearing the news, it's his chance to prove himself.

The moment the clocked chimed-in for lunch break, he moved like a ninja to gather information about this cute girl that rocked the whole school, only to find himself minutes later in front of a familiar classroom. When he opened it, he found his arch-nemesis, Maya, eating with her two demon-friends, Kagami-san and probably Kuroko-san who Noa cannot see yet at the moment.

His guts say she is the cute girl. But hell, who would believe that?! The only thing she changed about herself was her hair and the pink band-aid on her forehead. That doesn't make her a cute girl at all!

Noa walked toward her. Maya looked up at him.

"Oh, Suzuka-kun!" Maya smiled at him so sweetly he, for some reason, started to melt.

Noa blushed. And then suddenly, he started seeing flowers in Maya's background. Her eyes started to sparkle, her skin suddenly became smooth, and her lips suddenly became kissable. It was too much of a bewitching transformation. Noa's heart started beating fast that he thought he was going to faint.

And then he started forming tears from his eyes. He can't believe himself!

He's attracted to his arch-nemesis!

"_Hidoii! _Why are you doing this! Maya-_no-baka_!" Noa wailed and ran away from the classroom.

Victim #3, #4 and #5… and #6

The practice that afternoon did not go well because of a certain person. It's totally her fault. She was emitting a pink-aura that enveloped the whole gym causing all of them to stop and just stare at her. The aura was causing all of them to be aware that there is a female species among them.

"_Ano, _uhm, is there something on my face?" Maya asked them, blushing. Flowers bloomed around her. Even pink bubbles started to pop out of nowhere.

The act instantly killed Kawahara and Fukuda who dropped on the floor.

"Maya-chan, please give us a break. Can you please stop that?" Kiyoshi begged with his nose bleeding.

"Eh, stop what, Teppei-oniichan?" Maya craned her neck on the other side looking so innocent and cute.

Kiyoshi froze. He turned serious all of a sudden.

"What did you call me?!" He demanded.

"Teppei-oniichan?" Maya repeated.

Kiyoshi walked toward Maya but before he could touch her, Hyuuga punched him in the face. "You pervert!"

"Riko, can you do something about this?" Hyuuga asked their Coach.

"Even if you asked me, I can't really do something about it." Aida said, irritated. "Besides, she wouldn't act like this if not for certain people!"

Kagami, Kuroko, Mitobe, Izuki and Hyuuga were electrocuted at the mention of 'certain people'.

Aida sighed and went to the very feminine Maya.

"Maya could you please go to the clubroom and stay there for awhile? The boys can't really practice with you around."

Maya's face fell in a pretty kind of way. Aida cringed. That is totally not Maya-like.

"Oh, okay then _senpai_." She said.

She took her things on the bench and then removed a folder from her bag. "Senpai, I already finished the report that you asked me to do. Although you said I can submit it next week, I figured I can do it last night."

"You finished the report?!" Aida said, amazed. The _real_ Maya never did that. Usually, she needed some nagging before she would finish the report. Aida took the folder and opened it. She saw the neatly encoded words in the bond paper.

Aida covered her mouth. Tears started to come out from her eyes. And then she hugged Maya.

"Uwahhh! Please stay like this forever!" Aida said happily.

"Err… I don't think that's a good idea." Hyuuga remarked as he watch the scene.

* * *

**Excerpt: Toru Shinda's Journal:_ Entry #255 _**_November 4_

_It has come to the writer's attention that the change in the writer's friend has caused a commotion not just in the school but in the club where she posed as the manager. She is unconsciously creating a (XdamnX) sphere of men around her. And she (XfuckingX) seems not to be aware of it!_

_The phenomenon is also known as the reverse harem._

_Yes._

_It will be good, if the writer could experience that too. So, the writer could write a study about it._

_(XOr something.X_)

...

Victim #7, #8 and #9

The school cafeteria is packed like the usual lunch time crowd. Mitobe, Tsuchida and Koganei were hyped to get their desired lunch for the day and are ready to thread into the dangerous waters when they heard a "Kyaa~"

It was a very feminine "Kyaa~". The three of them looked where the sound came from.

They saw Maya being pushed down to the ground.

"Maya-chan, are you alright?" Koganei asked.

"Koganei-senpai…" She said looking up at him, almost to cry. There's a '_dokyuun_' sound. And Koganei suffered from a heart attack.

"What are you doing?" Tsuchida asked her.

"Mika-chan and Toru-chan asked me to buy them lunch but…" Maya pouted.

There's a '_dokyuun_' sound again and Tsuchida was shot by something in the chest.

"Yosh~! I'm going to try again." Maya said, boosting herself. She got up and ran toward the crowd, but it was futile. She was pushed like before.

She was about to fall down in a lady-like manner but Mitobe held her in place. He took the money from Maya's hand and sacrificed himself.

And there was the '_dokyuun_'.

Again.

* * *

**_Excerpt: Toru Shinda's Journal: Entry #256 _**_November 5_

_The writer heard news about a secret organization that was formed just for the writer's friend. No matter how you look at it, it's probably a fan-club._

_This has been happening for three days already and honestly, the writer is getting worried about it._

_This, seriously, has to stop._

_She is getting worse._

_...  
_

Victim 10

They got a call from Maya's parents. All of the Basketball Club members were asked to go to Maya's house because her parents are going to talk to them. Of course, this was inevitable. After how Maya-san has been acting for the past few days, who wouldn't get worried?

The Basketball Practice was cancelled and Kuroko was fixing his things when Maya came inside the classroom. She ran toward him.

The lady-like run.

"Tetsu-kun! Is it true that my parents called for all of you?!"

"Yes, Maya-san."

Maya took his hands and Kuroko was stunned. She gave him her big-brown-puppy-worried eyes look.

"Don't worry; I don't think my parents would get angry."

"Erm, I'm not actually worried about your parents." Kuroko said.

"Huh?" Maya angled her head on the side.

Kuroko was about to say he is actually worried about her but changed his mind. Kuroko tried to pull his hands away, but Maya won't budge.

"_Ano, _Maya-san, I think I should meet with the guys now."

Maya, who realized she has been holding his hands, released them.

"Oh, sorry." She said. She is blushing when she shouldn't.

And Kuroko felt something fuzzy inside.

...

* * *

**_To:_**_ real_iron_heart (kiyoshi teppei); izuki's_pun_is_awesome (izuki shun); mitoberinnosuke (mitobe rinnosuke); koga_is_the_jack (koganei shinji); satoshi_tsuchida (tsuchida satoshi); pointguard (furihata koki); center (kawahara koichi); powerforward (fukuda hiroshi); i_am_the_sixth (kuroko tetsuya); number0ne_tiger (kagami taiga); _

**_From:_**_ clutch_it_baby (hyuuga junpei);_

**_Subj:_**_ M.A.Y.A._

**_Date:_**_ Wednesday 11/05 9:08 PM_

If you want the Nationals (or if you love your life), let's meet at the clubroom. NOW. This is an EMERGENCY!

* * *

Everyone is breathing hard. They can all feel the coldness of the November night. It seems that the clubroom was too small to contain all of them. Except for Hyuuga who is standing in the middle, all of them were seated on the bench situated near their lockers. Nervousness was filling them up. For a few minutes now, since they arrived, no one dared to speak.

All of them knew why they are here.

For a moment, everyone saw a trickle of sweat dramatically fell from Hyuuga's forehead.

There was a 'plop' when it landed on the ground.

The Operation-Bring-Back-Maya-TO-Maya has been set.

"I presume you already know why we are all here…" Hyuuga started.

The freshmen gulped.

The second-years furrowed their eyebrows.

It is, after all, a serious situation.

"This is getting out-of-hand. Our practice is already behind the schedule, and,_ minna_, can I remind you that the Winter Cup is already this Saturday?! We are against a tough school and I fear that what's happening to Maya, whatever it is, is not going to be a benefit to us!"

Everyone understood Hyuuga's point and they all nodded.

"That's why…" Hyuuga continued. "I called all of you to help bring the original Maya back, ASAP!"

He swished his hands in the air for further emphasis.

"Hyuuga-senpai! How can we do that?" Kawahara asked.

"I, err, I actually don't know, but I have an idea. And it's the only thing I got."

"And that is?"

"We'll hit Maya in the head at the same spot with the same force as when the pot fell on her."

There was a complete, disturbing silence.

"Hyuuga-san… I don't think I could do that to Maya-chan…" Koganei said as he raised his right hand. He is trembling.

"I… I.. I just can't…she..she… I mean… when she said… when she looked at me…" Koganei started mumbling deliriously. Seeing this, the other guys cried for his suffering.

"Koganei-san, _gambatte_." They said.

Suddenly, a spotlight fell on Kiyoshi. He was standing on the bench. A rope was tied on to the ceiling and the loop is on his neck.

"I understand Koganei…" He said with a sad tone.

"Kiyoshi! What are you doing?" Izuki asked.

"I don't deserve to live anymore. I can't believe myself for thinking 'that' about my sister. I want to go back, but I can't!"

"Are you talking about Maya?" Hyuuga asked Kiyoshi incredulously.

"What is 'that'?" Izuki pressed.

"Senpai, she is not your sister…" The freshman said.

Kiyoshi was about to jump, but Hyuuga punched him in the stomach. Kiyoshi fell, with the rope still on his neck.

"You perverted weirdo!" Hyuuga roared.

"Hyuuga, is that the only option we have?" Izuki asked. "Everyone here can't do that to her. It seems that she got hold of our weaknesses."

"Well, does anyone have another idea?" Hyuuga asked the congregation.

Instead of answering, all of them looked at Kagami and Kuroko's direction.

Kagami and Kuroko stepped back.

"Whoa! What's with the staring?!" Kagami said.

The boys walked near them. Hyuuga put his hands on Kagami's and Kuroko's shoulder.

"We are expecting that the two of you will do it… but I guess she did you too, huh?"

"What do you mean she did us, senpai?" Kuroko asked.

Kagami swatted Hyuuga's hands away.

"The hell she did! No freaking way!" Kagami denied earnestly.

"Then, will you do it?" Hyuuga asked the question. Kagami looked at the other way.

"No. We barely escaped death today, you know…" Kagami said, meaning the talk with Maya's parents earlier.

Hyuuga and the others looked at Kuroko's direction, but he disappeared like a bubble.

"Whoooiii!" They screamed.

"Do we really have to do that to Maya-san?" Furihata asked bravely.

All eyes turned to him. Furihata gulped and sweated like crazy.

"Ah, I mean, it's not like it's that bad…" Furihata said blushing.

The guys continued staring at him.

"Am… I wrong?" Furihata squeaked.

Doom fell on the Seirin Basketball Club members. They went on their knees. Thunders came in their background.

"We are so dead!" They all cried. Kawahara and Fukuda tapped Furihata's shoulder to give him the guys' support, whatever that is.

When all was in despair, Mitobe coughed to get attention. He gave Hyuuga a piece of paper.

And there, written in bold letters, was the plan. Everyone crowded around it. Their eyes sparkled with amazement. And from despair, there was hope.

In that paper was the great big plan to turn Maya back to the way she was before.

* * *

**Excerpt: Toru Shinda's Journal:_ Entry #257 _**_November 06_

**_Summary of the Discussion between the Family and the Group of Boys (From a Credible Source):_**

_The discussion started with the Group of Boys bowing and groveling at their feet to sincerely apologize to the Parents. But instead of getting punished, all they got was a laugh from the Wife. Apparently, the change in the Subject brought great joy to the Parents. The Parents thanked the Group of Boys for taking care of her for the past few days. The reaction greatly surprised the Group of Boys because they were expecting to be scolded to the point of imprisonment – even death. The discussion ended with the Parents telling the Group of Boys "not to worry because the change of behavior is part of the healing process of her brain."_

_Comment: The writer doesn't think the Group of Boys even understands the healing process of the brain, so it's useless to explain it to them._

_...  
_

"Toru! What are you doing?!" Mika asked, scowling.

"What do you think I am doing?"

"It isn't the time to be writing on your journal!"

"Mika, you don't have to scold me!"

"I am not scolding you; it's just, I mean, look at her!" Mika said in a panic as she points Maya who is sitting in front of them, eating. "I should be very happy for her but it's starting to scare the crap out of me! Why do I want to hurt her?!"

Maya has been emitting the _moe-moe_ aura for four days already, the worst type of pheromones that she could possibly excrete out of her body. And everyone knows she isn't the _moe-moe_ type. That's why aside from creepy, it's bordering the line of disgusting.

Well, that is, in the girls'-point-of-view.

Emitting the _moe-moe_ aura, Maya just gave herself her own death sentence.

The boys can't take their eyes off her.

And the girls wanted to kill her.

At first, Mika and Toru thought that her change was interesting, but now, they want the real her back. It's just too strange to talk to her when all she was doing was to make a pretty face. And all they want to do to her was slap her face.

And then there's something about Kagami and Kuroko. Since the day started, the two guys have been kind-of out of it. Both were fidgety. And their eyes were unfocused. Mika and Toru could smell something fishy.

"Whoa. Kuroko, did you receive the senpai's text message?" Kagami said in this robotic, it's obviously a memorized line, kind-of-way. He took out his cellphone to make it credible.

"Yes, I did, Kagami-kun." Kuroko said in his monotone-voice.

"It seems that we have a meeting… so, Kuroko and I have to go. Now. Uhm, sorry."

"Yeah. We have to go."

And so they stood and started walking out of the room. While Maya waved them goodbye, Toru and Mika stared at them suspiciously.

The next thing Kagami and Kuroko knew, Toru and Mika grabbed their necks from behind and the four of them fell flat on the ground.

"WAAGHHH!"

Mika was grabbing Kagami's neck, while Toru was on Kuroko.

"What the fuck, Yoshimura!" Kagami yelled.

"Spit it out!" Mika demanded.

"What?!"

"Tell us what the two of you are planning to Maya?" Toru asked.

"Shinda-san, my neck…please…" Kuroko pleaded.

"What plan are you talking about?! And are you crazy!? You left Maya in the classroom alone, when you know she is like that!?" Kagami said.

"We left an apparition. She's too stu…err... innocent to think that we're not there." Mika explained.

Kagami crunched his face. If Kuroko could really be expressive, he would crunch his face too.

"What are you talking about?!" Kagami said exasperatedly.

"Yoshimura-san, you almost called Maya-san, stupid right?!" Kuroko asked.

"Don't divert our talk to other subjects!" Mika said.

"What are the two of you planning?!" Toru asked once again.

"Nothing!" Kagami and Kuroko denied in chorus.

Toru and Mika grabbed them tighter, near to chocking or death.

"Aggh! Ok! Alright! Damn it! Get off of me!" Kagami conceded.

The girls got off the two boys. The four of them, then, look at each other, weighing the situation, if there was any, in, for a minute. And then Kuroko nudged Kagami's side to make him do the talking. Kagami cursed at him and then grunted.

And he talked.

He told Mika and Toru about the plan that Mitobe-senpai wrote.

The plan to bring Maya back to herself before the winter tournament.

…

The day ended like it ended yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and the day before that. The only thing different today are the envelopes that were secretly placed on a locker of a certain girl who lost her head on a clay pot.

And so, after class, this certain girl, who is named Maya, went to her shoe locker, only to find these envelopes. And inside were all letters that coincidentally came from people she knew professing their admiration to her.

Oh, what a dilemma! Maya doesn't know what to do.

And like other girls, she confided this to her friends.

"Uhm…so, what should I do?" she asked, flustered.

"I don't really know what you should do." Her friend, Toru said, in all honesty.

"But it would be rude if you won't reply to their feelings. I mean, they did put some effort in writing them." Mika, the other friend, said.

"Hm. You're right. But it's just weird, all the letters are telling me to go to one place only." She said.

Toru and Mika gasped, quite exaggeratedly.

"_Masaka?!..._" Mika said.

"What?" Maya asked.

"No, I don't think they would do it."

"What do you mean, Mika-chan?"

"What she meant was they might fight each other so that when you arrive, there would be only one guy left." Toru said seriously.

"That's ridiculous!" Maya said.

"Surely, they wouldn't do that! They're friends, so they wouldn't… _tabun_…" She continued.

While the certain girl, who is named Maya, is weighing the possibility of a fight, Mika and Toru were having mixed emotions. They wanted to laugh but were annoyed at the same time.

"Fuck!" Mika whispered to Toru. "She's buying all of it. Like WTF!"

"Oh god. She's grossing me out. I haven't heard a single cursing from her mouth today!" Toru said.

"I'm going to kill those two if this plan doesn't work." Mika said.

"_Yappari_! I have to go now!" Maya proclaimed.

"Yes, you should. I think we should come with you." Toru said.

"Toru-chan, Mika-chan,…" Her eyes watered. "Thank you! You two are like the best girlfriends ever!"

And then, Maya hugged them.

"Urkk…" Toru and Mika said as they shuddered.

The river bank is three blocks away from Seirin High School. This is the place indicated in all the letters that Maya has read. And when the three girls arrived, the only guys standing were Kagami and Kuroko. The rest of the guys were all lying on the ground unconscious.

Kagami and Kuroko were face to face, huffing and puffing, like tired animals.

"Pfftftt!" Mika and Toru chorused. The two covered their mouths to prevent laughs coming out from it. But their eyes started to water. Mika can't take it anymore so she knelt; holding her stomach, biting her lips so there weren't any sounds. Toru's shoulders were trembling so hard.

"That isn't funny!" Maya reprimanded.

"Hahaha! Maya, seriously?!" Mika asked her.

"Yes, I'm serious!"

"I'm sorry! Haha!" Mika said. "They really did it, hahahahahah!"

They walked nearer towards Kagami and Kuroko, at a distance where they can hear what the two boys are saying.

"Kuroko, you bastard!" Kagami said.

"Kagami-kun, please accept defeat." Kuroko said.

"In your dreams!"

"Then I have no choice."

"Bring it on!"

And then Kagami and Kuroko ran towards each other, their fist in fighting form. They were about to punch each other's faces when Maya screamed.

_"Dame!"_

The two boys froze in place.

"You shouldn't fight because of me!" Maya said, already crying. "That isn't right! Please! Stop!"

"Ahahahahahahahahahhaha!" Mika and Toru laughed at the background.

Maya ran, lady-like, towards them.

Just then, Kagami and Kuroko jumped away from each other like a ninja. The unconscious people on the ground stood up and then a ball flew towards Kuroko.

"Kuroko!" Hyuuga yelled.

"I'm sorry Maya-san!" Kuroko said. He, then, put the measured force on the ball, hitting it with his palm and it flew towards Maya.

And then one second later, it hit Maya's face.

"GRAWGHGH!" Maya said as the ball fell from her face.

"What…" She took a step backward.

"..the…" and then another.

"FUCK, TETSU!"

And then she fell in the river.

There were bubbles.

Kuroko knelt on the ground. He was trembling. Kagami put a hand on his shoulder.

"Good job!"

"Kagami-kun, she said my name. She knew I hit her with a ball…" Kuroko said. And for the first time, Kagami heard fear in his voice. He doesn't know what to say to him, because he also heard Maya say Kuroko's name, in the usual name she used to call him. The only thing he did was to tap Kuroko's shoulder again.

Meanwhile, Toru and Mika were gazing down the spot where Maya fell. They waited a fairly considerable time, just to be sure, before speaking.

"Err, guys, Maya's not floating up…" Mika said.

All of them just stared at each other.

"Maya doesn't swim well." Toru said.

And then the guys screamed.

"WHAAAAA!"

"Her Mother will kill us this time!" Fukuda wailed.

"Shit! Shit!" Hyuuga said in panic.

Kagami, without thinking how cold the water is, immediately jumped to the river. Seconds later, he was up with Maya, who was coughing like there's no tomorrow. Kagami laid her on the ground.

And then, with all the energy she had left, Maya lifted her right hand and gave them all The Finger.

"I'm going to kill all of you! *cough*" She said. And then she lost consciousness.

Despite her threat though, the boys were happy.

"She's back!"

"She's Maya again!"

"_Yatta_!"

All of them were wearing smiles of victory and glee on their faces.

Except, of course, for Kuroko and Kagami.


	22. The Perks of Winter Cup Preliminaries

**Wai:) Finally updated.**

***Slam Dunk**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

_"__Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

**_November 7_**

Dear Friend,

At first I thought I had a FACE CANCER, if there's even that kind of cancer, because my face freaking-ly hurts to the point that it's not normal anymore. I swear! And I am beyond sure that it's not because of the fever I had yesterday which was pretty serious. I'm having these hallucinations and delusions that I almost believed them as reality. And god, don't ask me about them. Those hallucinations were totally humiliating on my part. I mean, gosh! It's like something possessed me or whatever. It's better if we will not talk about it. Like EVER!

Anyway, it's all just a fever – serious or not, the first I had ever since coming to Japan and I guess it's bound to happen sooner or later since its beginning to get cold over here. And it made me, finally, to legally skip class. But then again, it's a fever and it still sucks.

I'm fine now though.

BUT Mom made me stay at home to rest.

This wouldn't be a big deal except that she made me stay at home TODAY of all days. TODAY! Do you know what TODAY IS?! I mean Mom knows for sure and she made me STAY, anyways.

Today, just so you know is the START of the WINTER CUP PRELIMINARIES. If you remember how bad I felt when I cannot watch the Seirin games before, well imagine my agony right now when I have all the means and reasons. Jeez!

Well, ok. I actually forgot about this big day and I blame it all to my fever which is pretty much excusable (right?). I only remembered it when Tetsu dropped by around noon with his NEW uniform and bag and all, which looks good on him by the way.

"Hi, Maya-san. How are you?" He asked softly. I was surprised to see (only) him. He was strangely sweet enough to check on my fever (which I am really grateful of) - being alone and all. Mom even let him in my total clutter space room, it's embarrassing. Tetsu seem not to mind it though.

"I'm back to perfect health, thank you for asking. But my face is hurting." I reported, rubbing my cheeks. Tetsu suddenly excreted a lot of sweat. And for a moment, he kind of look guilty even though there can be no trace of change in his expression whatsoever.

"I'm really sorry." He apologized, bowing.

I looked at him funny because I don't get what the hell he is saying.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, but he didn't answer and instead just gave me his shudder-inducing creepy-stare that I, well, shuddered.

Actually all I'm thinking about is why he is wearing his new uniform. At first I was filled with envy because I still don't have a Seirin uniform like that (Aida-sempai didn't give me one yet, ugh!) and then suddenly everything came into view. The realization that today is the start of Winter Cup hit me like a bulldozer that my eyes got so big. I inhaled a lot of air that my nose cannot take it anymore and I actually screamed in horror. I was still in my bed that time.

Tetsu jumped on his feet looking really scared and Mom came over to my room.

I got up so disoriented that I really don't know if I should go to the closet or to the bathroom. Or if I'm going to get a bath or not. I mean, you don't want to see me that way. I look like a total lunatic that Tetsu moved away from me. Not that you'll really notice him doing that.

"Ma! Today is the winter cup!" I shrieked, informing her and asking for permission at the same time while pacing back and forth, walking in circles like a dog.

"No." She said firmly.

And I stopped moving and just stared at my Mom. Like a lunatic. She can be like that sometimes.

"Why?" I asked stupidly.

If Mom is a friend, then I would say that she just gave me the 'are-you-dumb-or-what-look', but since she is my Mom, I'd like to think that it's the 'I-care-for-you-look'.

"You need to rest, Maya." She said, dismissing any other argument that I might open.

OK. To my defense, I know that. It's only natural that I rest after I got sick. But like I said, I am perfectly healthy today.

"But…"

"I already informed Riko that you can't come."

I opened my mouth. Since when did Mom and Aida-sempai got so chit-chatty to each other?! And Mom knows the Winter Cup is today and she didn't even bother to tell me! Ugh!

"You what?!" I said, not asked, in this 'I-can't-believe-raspy-voice'. And Mom just shrugged.

"It would be good for their heart if they won't see you just yet." She said to no one in particular. As if something happened that I don't know about. Ultimately, I can't believe my Mom would say this. I don't understand what she just said, but I can't believe she said that. What does she mean by that? What heart-shit is she talking about?! I gape at her, and then to Tetsu who obviously understood what my Mom just said. I suddenly felt weak and tired and very, very, weary.

I don't have a choice but to climb back to my bed, without the energy and grudgingly laid and pulled the comforter up to my neck. It's the only thing I could do. Actually. Since I turned white all over and dark clouds for gloomy mood above me appeared.

Mom left ignoring my drama and Tetsu walked towards me.

"I'll be going then. Just rest Maya-san, ok?" He said.

I grunted. "Fine! Just make sure you will win, or else."

"Don't worry. We will win." Tetsu assured me – which wasn't working because I really felt bad. Like really bad. I am not present in the first day of the tournament, when I know this is a momentous event in the Basketball Club because it is our new beginning and opportunity to reach our aim, you know, after we failed in the Inter-high. And I even vowed not to miss any game! They are even against a tough opponent, the Josei High School.

So I slept my bad mood off that afternoon. I woke up with a great news and a VERY bad news.

The great news first. Seirin won against Josei, with 108-61. I actually leap from joy when I read Aida-sempai's text messages.

And now the very bad news. Yes. It's that bad that I only have two sentences for the good news. It's the main reason why I wrote. I mean, it is B-A-D. It is so bad that I wanted to die!

From HUMILIATION.

I mean. ARRRGGG!

Mika and Toru sent me a video of what seemingly a girly-me stopping Taiga and Tetsu from fighting. Labeled: "_Never thought you had it in you_". You can just hear, even though you read, how sarcastic they were! Taiga and Tetsu didn't fight; it's so obvious that the morons are faking it especially Taiga who was so stiff and his lines were robotically memorized. I DON'T LIKE TO GO TO THE DETAILS but it's like watching a should-be-very, very scary movie except that the blood and gore is totally lame and old that it makes you want to puke but you'll watch the movie until the end, nonetheless. What happened in the video is the same with what I was hallucinating when I was down with the fever! EXACTLY THE SAME! And come to think of it, I had no recollection of any sorts of what happened this week! MY STUPID SELF JUST REALIZED THAT JUST NOW. Like, how stupid is that! I CANT BELIEVE IT. I REALLY CAN'T! AND I CAN'T CALM DOWN RIGHT NOW! I MEAN, MIKA AND TORU WERE LAUGHING IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE VIDEO. I CAN HEAR THEM CLEARLY. ARG!

Oh god. That seriously can't be me. I don't wear my hair that way. I don't even move that way.

…

Friend, I watched the video again. It's really me… oh god. I called Mika and Toru and they told me everything. I said we should have an emergency meeting at my house right now but they refused saying that they are engaged with their jobs at the moment and can't. That's so obviously bull. They just don't want to come. Ok, maybe I got a little bit mad and hysterical over the phone (I even entered an epileptic convulsion for a moment, really, like my eyes rotated 180 degrees from shock), and anyone would get scared but, duh! What would you expect me to react after hearing I did all that.

I shed tears while saying "_dame_!"

I can't live anymore.

And then I asked Mom and Dad if any of it were true. Nicely. And they confirmed that it really happened.

And they were like: "Oh, you remember now. That's good."

F*ck. What's good about that? I had a freaking post-concussion syndrome (it's mild, but still)! I'm feeling so brain-damaged right now.

All the hallucinations.

All the delusions. They were all true!

As of right now, I wanted to jump off a bridge.

And punch EVERY SEIRIN guys in the face especially Taiga and Tetsu. DID YOU KNOW WHAT TETSU DID TO ME?! That's why he apologized! I'll never trust that poker-face idiot again. He Ignite Pass me the ball right to my face! I am not having a FACE CANCER! It's because a ball HIT ME in the FACE! And Tetsu even used the Ignite Pass on me! The Ignite Pass!

God! That's why my face hurts so badly.

And you know what, when I conference-called them (Taiga and Tetsu), the two dick-heads didn't even try to deny what they did to me. For the WHOLE WEEK.

My head is hurting from rage. I am so pissed.

I don't want to write anything.

ARRRKGGGGGGGGGGGARRRRAKR!

Love Always, Maya.

* * *

_**November 9**_

Dear Friend,

It's the final round for the Preliminaries. I spared Taiga and Tetsu from death because as we all know, the team needs them. I actually keep telling myself that I am a good person. For being a martyr and something like that. I didn't want to waste too much energy terrorizing them on something not entirely their fault.

Yesterday, the game was against the Senshinkan High. I was so excited. Except of course, it's so awkward seeing all of them at first. We met at the school. All of them were red when they finally saw me, it's err, awkward and gross, if you know what I mean. Aida-sempai even flinched.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT SAYING IT!" I warned them before they could even speak to me. I was giving them the evil eyes.

"Hahaha! How are you feeling Maya-chan?" Teppei-nii asked.

"Humiliated and pissed." I answered. Darkness fell on us. Well, to be exact, MY darkness fell on THEM.

"Hahaha!" Teppei-nii laughed. "What I meant is your fever."

"I'm ok now. Except for my face!" I said grumpily.

There was a big awkward silence.

I turned to glare at Tetsu, but he turned his head away at the same time. And since I don't want to dwell on it anymore, we agreed that it never happened. And so it never happened.

I finally saw Teppei-nii play seriously without him goofing-off. He and Hyuuga-sempai were so good together. Ok, I don't mean BL stuff. What I mean is the teamwork stuff. Taiga, as usual, was dunking the ball in the basket like there's no tomorrow. And Tetsu was passing the invisible ball. Everytime he did that though, I wince. I guess I was really traumatized.

Anyway we are so hyped up because, well, we won. Yay! 78-61.

And then today's match was against the Shuutuko. Hehe. Yep. I saw Midorima-san again. He is so serious that it's VERY attractive. Subjectively speaking, of course. You know how I get around him.

I was trying to break the tension because really, the atmosphere between Seirin and Shuutuko is crackling with intensity. I am not kidding. They were so…INTENSE.

Boys. Uhg.

And so I greeted them.

"Hey guys. Let's have a good match." I said looking at Midorima's attractive eyeglasses.

"Yeah. Let's!" Takao-san said in his easy-going way as he smiled at me.

Midorima-san was just quiet. He was staring at me and his glasses were gleaming ominously. He did that only for a few seconds but it already made me squirm awkwardly. Takao-san went to my side and whispered to my ear:

"Don't talk to him. He is a starving beast right now."

"Then why don't you give him something to eat?"

Ok. That was my bad. I was slow on the outtake. I thought he was hungry, literally. Takao-san looked at me like I'm hitting on drugs or something.

"Maya-chan, I meant he is starving for victory." Takao-said as a matter-of-factly. "And I actually share the same feelings."

"I know that! I was just joking!"

Takao-san smirked. He doesn't believe me for obvious reasons. I stick my tongue out at him. Their captain yelled and they were off to the other side of the court. And I was there thinking that Midorima-san didn't even speak to me, which kind of make me feel sad. Even though he is a freak and all.

"Once is enough for losing, we thirst for victory…" Taiga said, giving a once-in-a-while sensible quote.

"…as well." Tetsu finished.

I laughed nervously. Oh, boy.

Like I said. It was intense. It's like they're going to kill each other using the basketball.

So the game started, Midorima-san is against Taiga. And the first few seconds starting from the jump ball was intense too. It literally made me stop breathing. Midorima-san evolved into something like *Jin and Mitsui combined. Teppei-nii, being the almighty founder, and Aida-sempai, being the supreme coach, made Tetsu sit on the bench. And then there's the Run and Gun Speed Basketball technique that the Seirin guys used.

Frankly, I don't get it. Why do they have to put a name on every single technique they have. It's not like Kamehameha- or something. It is a guy thing? Even Tetsu was saying something about a New Drive shit. And get this, he named it the Vanishing Drive. What's with the people these days?!

On the third quarter, Tetsu came in to play again. Basically, because Seirin is in a pinch. Shuutuko was driving them crazy, especially Midorima-san and Takao-san. Eventually, we came on the last 5 seconds of the game, the score is 103-104 in favor of Shuutuko. Everyone is tired and already pass their limits. To make it short, Midorima-san committed a foul against Teppei-nii gaining him a two free throw with only 2 seconds remaining. Teppei-nii got the first one. So it's tie now. 104-104. The entire situation is very crucial and all. The second one, the shot of fate, unfortunately failed. Taiga got the rebound. And then when he's going to dunk (again), Midorima blocked him. And then, the game came to an end. Since the tournament doesn't allow overtime, it's a draw between the two schools. Both are advancing.

Yes. It's actually a good game. I really enjoyed watching them. They're not normal high school-ers who play normal basketball. Even though I get so weird-out with them most of the times.

The guys were still changing when Aida-sempai and I got in the backroom for Seirin. It was immature for me, but I mean, they are all topless and that's the first thing I noticed. Aida-sempai doesn't seem to mind, so I pretended I also don't mind while my brain was actually screaming in glee. I could slap my face for being a pervert.

When we were ready to go out, Koga-sempai got our attention. He is wearing his silly monkey-face.

"_Ano_…"

"What is it Koganei-san?" Aida-sempai asked.

"I can't find Nigo." He said. If you remember, Nigo is the dog.

"Nigo?" I asked.

"Hehehe…" He looked sheepish. "I'm so sorry! You see, when I was feeding him right before the game, he was making such puppy-sad face, so…"

"You brought him here?!" I squawked.

"_Hai_, I did. _Gomenasai_."

"Don't give me that!" Hyuuga-sempai said.

"Where could have he gone to?!" Kawara-san said.

"I had him hidden down here properly…" Koga-sempai pointed behind the lockers. "…but it seems like he went somewhere."

"Don't give me that again!" Hyuuga-sempai said.

Aida-sempai put her fingers on her temples. "Uhg. This is bad, so go find him!" She ordered.

And so we went to find where on earth Nigo have gone to. I was with Tetsu and Taiga and the three of us were walking outside the arena.

"Ok, Tetsu. Use some psychic powers to know where he is." I ordered.

"Maya-san, how can I possibly do that?" Tetsu asked.

"Don't make him a weirdo." Taiga said to me.

"I'm not making him a weirdo. I mean, he should know where Nigo is." I am quite serious about this. I believe Nigo is the other Tetsu.

"You're being hard on him." Taiga said disapprovingly.

"I'm not." I said exasperated.

"I'm really sorry about the ball hitting your face Maya-san." Tetsu apologized again.

"Why are you bringing that up?!"

"Because you are still angry." He said.

"You are wrong. I'm not… I'm not… ok, maybe a little angry, but not really that angry with you."

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely. I actually forgave him already. It's probably just my female emotions because I really think what happened to me is humiliating. But the way Tetsu apologize made me feel like I'm the bad guy here. Taiga made it worse when he looked at me. And then all negative feelings evaporated. I'm beginning to think I am helpless before these two guys. WHY?!

I grunted. And grumbled. And sighed.

"Let's drop it, ok. I'm sorry too for everything." I said, raising my hands in the air and dropping them to my sides.

Taiga chuckled. "I need to go to the comfort room, continue looking for Nigo."

So Taiga left me with Tetsu.

"I'm…" He was about to say but I covered his mouth with my hands.

"I said, let's drop it." I said, looking at his eyes.

He nodded and I released him. When we turned toward the corner of the building we saw Ryo, Midorima-san and Momoi-san. Momoi-san was holding Nigo. Tetsu and I sighed in relief. I texted everyone that we found the dog.

"Nigo!" I called. And he jumped off Momoi-san. I scooped him up and scratched his head.

"Sorry, that's our dog." Tetsu said.

"Kurokocchi! Mayacchi!" Ryo greeted us happily.

"Tetsu-kun!" Momoi-san said, deliberately forgetting me.

"Kuroko! Maya-san." Midorima-san said.

"_Minna_, did something happen?" Tetsu asked naively. I brought Nigo's face near Tetsu's to point out how they look alike. Momoi-san's face said she noticed.

And then Momoi-san fainted.

"Whoa! That's fast!" I said.

"Momocchi!" Ryo said in shock.

"Maya-san, what are you doing?" Tetsu eyed me.

"Nothing!" I said.

And then the four of us stared at the lying Momoi-san on the ground.

"Maybe we should call an ambulance?" I suggested.

"It's not something like that." Midorima-san said. Oh my gosh! He's back to his freaky self again, but it's alright.

Midorima-san sighed. "Anyway, she'll wake up soon. However, that dog just peed on my rickshaw!" He pointed Nigo.

"Well, he is a puppy…" I started. "And besides could you overlook this one for the sake of Tetsu?"

"What do you mean?"

I put Nigo's head close to Tetsu's again.

"Didn't you notice?" I asked them.

"Oh! They look alike!" Ryo said happily.

"Ping pong! You see, Nigo is actually Tetsu's re-incarnation. So, if Nigo peed on your ricksaw, that means that, Tets…."

Tetsu put a hand over my mouth. He gripped my mouth a little too tightly. Jeez.

Midorima-san pushed his glasses-up. Takao-san came.

"Pisces should beware of furs, you know." Midorima-san said to me out-of-nowhere.

"Oh, god. You're not starting your horoscope on me again!" I said to him even though my heart was really happy that he talked to me.

"What's happening here?!" Takao-san asked, and then looked at the still lying Momoi-san.

"Something pointless. I'm going now." Midorima-san said.

"Huh? You're going?!" Ryo asked him.

Midorima-san turned his back on us and started walking.

"Let's go Takao." He called to the clueless Takao-san

"Eh? Huh? Are you sure?" Takao-san asked.

"Kuroko…" Midorima turned his head towards us (well, ok, to Tetsu only). "Let's meet again at the Winter Cup."

And then the wind rushes, blowing our hairs and Midorima-san away.

"…Yes." Tetsu said.

And that was the most cheesy moment ever.

"That is so beautiful!" I cried.

"Maya-san…" Tetsu said exasperatedly.

Momoi-san stirred from the ground.

"Err, about her..." I addressed.

"I'll take care of Momochhi." Ryo picked her up and carried her on his back.

"Well, see you soon! Good luck on your next match." Ryo said.

And then we parted.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. The next opponent is the Kirisaki-Daiichi High. I heard they are cheaters. I hope nothing goes wrong. And speaking of fur, Robin played a prank on me earlier. He put the mighty, super glue on the disgusting-looking skunk stuff toy and stuck in on my butt. Of course, I gave Robin what he deserves, but seriously, there's a limit to how freaky Midorima-san can get.


	23. The Perks of Hanamiya Makoto

**Adding drama.;) He did also piss me off.**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

_"__Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

_**November 15**_

Dear Friend,

I take back everything I said about being a good person. Today, I realized that I'm not because of one human being. And he is the person that I hate the most in the whole planet.

Hanamiya Makoto.

It is the first time ever in my life that I really wanted to kill someone, literally, because of anger and fury. But since I can't do murder, I cried. For real. He is a CHEATING-SCUMBAG! GRAGGHHH! I wanted to put a knife in his throat or something. What an asshole!

He deserves to die. I can't believe I could harbor hate like this to someone.

And Teppei-nii! He is an idiot! He is an idiot-martyr! He was sacrificing himself to get hurt! I mean, is it worth it to get yourself hurt just for basketball?! Uhg! I am still so pissed right now. He's a moron!

And then I want to kill the referees. Why are there so blind?! They are so stupid! Stupid!

Today was our match to the infamous Kirisaki-Daiichi High. Everyone is hyped-up because Teppeii-nii and Hyuuga-sempai has an unpleasant history with this guy Hanamiya. He is the acting captain and coach of the Kirisaki-Daiichi. He is also one of the 'Crownless Generals' like Teppei-nii. And most of all, he is the culprit why Teppei-nii was hospitalized last year. Hyuuga-sempai told us everything that happened between the Kirisaki-Daiichi and Seirin last Inter-High. Well, actually, he only told Taiga and Tetsu, and you know how those two can't keep anything, so they told me and the rest of the freshmen. Apparently, Hanamiya is using nasty means to hurt players in the court so that they could win. And he's even happy about it. That's why Hyuuga-sempai is more ticked than the usual. And also everyone. They want to win at all cost.

For Teppei-nii's sake.

I share the same feelings with them of course. Taiga and Tetsu even went to him upfront saying: "No matter what kind of dirty tricks you used, we will not lose."

And then he smirked nastily. "Well, watch out. Let's hope nothing happens."

I don't like him then. I just can't believe someone like him exist in this kind of tournament. I mean, how can someone find joy in someone else's suffering? Until, I saw how he plays.

We were antagonistic towards him before the game even started. Furihata-san, Kawahara-san and Fukuda-san were all feeling for Teppei-nii , so they offered to do his taping.

"We can't do anything but this, so… so… please win!" Furihata-said.

"Yes, please." Seconded the two.

I gave them the tapes and instructed them how to do it.

"Hyuuga! Don't tell me, you told them?!" Teppei-nii asked, eyeing Hyuuga-sempai who was stretching just a few feet away.

"They are bound to know that sooner or later anyway."

"We're done!" Kawahara-san announced. Teppei-nii's leg looks like it suffered from a severe bone-fracture.

"What the hell is that? Aren't you even listening to what I said?!" I scolded.

Aida-sempai spanked their heads. "How's that done?! You rolled it too much!"

Aida-sempai undid the tapes and rolled it properly while I scolded the three about wasting the rolls.

"Don't overdo it. If I think it's dangerous, I won't hesitate to change." Aida-sempai warned him.

Teppei-nii smiled sheepishly and thanked us.

We all huddled together and declared Seirin's victory.

Its Seirin's ball first, and then Tetsu used the Vanishing Drive and Teppei-nii scored with an alley-hoop. It was a good start but everything goes wrong from there. The Kirisaki-Daiichi team was deliberately hurting them.

It's just so unfair, that I, whose knowledge of basketball doesn't go beyond what I watch, saw what they were doing but the referees couldn't. It's so messed up. That's why I want to kill them also. I mean, it's their job! They should be much more observant! Gah!

Taiga even lost his control and almost punches the one wearing the jersey #10 hadn't Tetsu pulled his feet and Taiga landed on his face. To be honest, I prefer it if he punched the face of that asshole. I mean, #10 elbowed him. I'm the only one who could elbow Taiga in the stomach!

After the first quarter, Aida-sempai hit Taiga's head.

"What were you thinking, you moron!" She scolded.

"If you're going to do it, do it without getting caught!" She continued.

"I agree with Aida-sempai. It's time we showed them how nasty Seirin could also get!" I said as I was tending Hyuuga-sempai's bruised.

"That's not really how it goes…" Koga-sempai remarked.

I might have tightened the bandages too much and Hyuuga-sempai winced.

"Owwoowwow!" He cried.

"Oopss, I'm sorry!"

"Could you get me some ice?" He requested.

"Hey, Furihata-san, could you get some ice for Hyuuga-sempai?" I ordered.

"Hai!" Furihata-san obliged.

"Oi, oi. I was asking you, Maya." Hyuuga-sempai said.

"Pshaw! Why do it, when others are willing to do it for you. You should ask somebody who is willing to comply." I said.

"That's totally abusive!" He accused.

"Hehehe. We all have our free-will." I said to my defense.

He shook his head and remarked about something Furihata-san being a pity or something.

And then this is where I started to get angry. I didn't feel it first though, if that was even possible.

"Inside is fine with me alone. I'll entrust the outside to you, four." Teppei-nii, authoritatively said. And then he said to Aida-sempai who was just worrying about his injury.

"If you replace me now, I'll curse you for the rest of my life!"

I can't believe he was capable of saying that, but he did, and I feel really bad for Aida-sempai. I pursed my lips on him on disapproval. After that I stayed by Aida-sempai's side.

"He's just feeling too much pressure right now. Don't think too much about what Teppei-nii said, senpai." I consoled.

"Yeah, I know." She said meekly.

And then you know what happened inside the court? Teppei-nii was just going shooting and defending while everyone from the opposite team where enjoying hurting him. I mean.

WTF!

I bit my lower lip because I couldn't take it anymore. Are the referees blind not to see the should-have-been-technical fouls?!

I was beside myself. I wanted to stop the game and beat the Kirisaki guys.

And then I heard Hanamiya Makoto said: "If you want to die that badly, then die!" He did some snapping. It was his signal.

And then Teppei-nii fell down for some reason together with the jersey #7 and GRRAAHAAGGAH! I almost had a heart attack. #7 elbowed Teppei-nii in the forehead. What the hell! That's too much! If I had a gun, I would have shot #7 head.

FOR PETE'S SAKE! CAN A HIGHSCHOOL STUDENT STOMACH THAT KIND OF VIOLENCE?

It was un-nerving really. I was trembling from all kinds of emotions, but I was sure, anger was the heaviest among all of them. I was close to tears back then.

Teppei-nii got up, his head bleeding. Like gore-bleed! Like someone stabbed his head with an axe. It was that horrible.

"If their hearts gets fragile, I'll become their support. If they are threatened, I'll be their shield. I'll sacrifice myself anyday to protect everyone. That's why I came back." He said.

I would have understood that. Really. IF HE WAS A HERO IN A SHOUNEN MANGA, WHERE THE WORLD IS AT STAKE AND EVERY HUMAN AND ANIMAL LIVES ARE IN HIS HANDS! But he is NOT!

I was touched that Teppei-nii has that kind of feeling. But for god's sake, we are ONLY talking about BASKETBALL here! It's not something worth sacrificing your life for! It's too much!

Teppei-nii is nuts! Gragg!

And Hanamiya Makoto is really a bastard. Tetsu asked him why he was using such dirty tricks and he said that 'others tragedy tastes like honey'. He said he really don't want to win. He just wants to see disappointments to those people who worked hard playing basketball.

He's a f*cking sociopath. He is totally out of his mind. He is psychologically messed-up individual.

I HATE PEOPLE LIKE HIM THE MOST.

I HATE HIM.

We were in the backroom and Taiga is kicking everything he sees.

"Shit! You damn bastards!" He cursed, kicking the benches. Hyuuga-sempai smacked him.

"Stop taking out your anger like that!"

I was treating Teppei-nii's wound and it isn't really that nice of a feeling for me. He was bruised all over. It pained me to see him like that.

I was just so angry, irritated, annoyed and pissed that everything follows.

"Kiyoshi, are you alright?!" Izuki-sempai asked him.

"Yeah, I am." He said.

And that's where I snapped.

"How can you say you are alright when you obviously are not!" I wailed at him, standing up. So I was like looking down on him as he sits on the bench.

I was losing control of my emotions. I was biting my lips to take control of whatever what was left, but the tears betrayed me. They flowed out of my eyes. I mean, I really hate seeing one of my friends hurt especially when it's not justified!

Everyone stopped from what they are doing. Complete silence. All eyes were on me. But I can't help myself. It's so just unfair how the guys just take everything Kirisaki-Daiichi do. It's not about the game anymore. It's already personal. It's crossing the line.

Am I the only sensible being who sees that?!

Teppei-nii smiled at me kindly. He held my hands. "Really, I'm alright, Maya-chan."

I swatted his hands away.

"You just don't get it! Why are you doing this to yourself?!" I said.

"Maya…" Aida-sempai called.

But of course, obviously it's too late for me. I'm so angry.

"You'd willing to get beaten up for basketball!" I yelled. "Fine!"

And then I walked out.

"Maya! Where are you going?!" Taiga yelled.

"I'm going to kill Hanamiya Makoto! So fuck off!" I screamed. I really feel so bad, my heart is hurting, seeing Teppei-nii bleeding in the head and all of them were hurt and they were not doing anything!

Tetsu grabbed my wrist.

"Maya-san, can you please calm down." He said to me, with an edge on his voice. I know he is angry with them too. All of us were angry. I know that. But as I said, I am over-the-top emotional today. I wiped the tears off my face.

"Ah, mou! If you are angry too, why don't you do something!" I said to Tetsu and forcefully released my hands in his grasp. And then I ran out the door. I'm only going to the comfort room to get some tissues because snots are already coming out from my nose. My nerves are killing me and I need to pee. I also need to cry my eyes out.

It took a while because I really cried. When I'm genuinely angry, that's all that I do actually.

I don't understand them. Even Aida-senpai when she was just letting them do as they pleased.

I was out on the female restroom, when at the same time Hanamiya Makoto also came out from the male restroom. Fate is really having fun at bullying me. I wasn't ready to kill him, yet, hello!? I saw him, and he saw me.

I glared at him menacingly. He has the most despicable face ever! He sneered at me insultingly. He knows that I am from Seirin.

"What are you looking at?" He said rudely.

"You are going to lose." I said confidently, my eyes and nose are bulging red.

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Hee, let's see about that. But don't go bitching if the result turned otherwise."

And then he stuck his tongue out like a pervert. So disgusting.

The urge to punch him was so strong its consuming me. Its different when I am punching Taiga and the others. I mean, to be honest, it was just for comical relief. Right now I want to punch Hanamiya, for real, where he will bleed and his bruises will not heal after a couple of days. Do you think I'm too violent that way? I curled my fist. I had the courage to actually do it when Aomine came out from the rest room. I already raised my arms ready to hit Hanamiya Makoto that time. But I stopped. I was, more or less, startled to see Aomine Daiki.

Aomine looked at us, also startled. And when he probably saw the whole picture, he gave Hanamiya the warning glare. Hanamiya just 'tch' and then walked-off away from us.

I dropped my arms. And tears started to form again.

"Egh! What the hell!" Aomine said, flinching.

I complained. "I hate him so much. Did you see what he did to Teppei-nii?"

"Don't cry when you were about to punch that scumbag."

"But I am… I am so angry."

He sighed.

"They're going to lose." Aomine said.

"Of course… they are going to lose!" I agreed with him. And I cried again.

We're getting a little too much attention but I just I need to cry.

And then a couple of girls walked passed us to the restroom.

"What is that guy doing making her cry like that?!" One of them whispered. It's a loud one, so both of us clearly heard it.

"What a jerk! He won't even try to console her." Said the other one.

Aomine grunted uncomfortably.

"Shit, Maya. Get yourself together." He said to me.

And then out of nowhere he dabbed the hem of his uniform jacket to my eyes.

"Aw! What are you doing!" I said. He pressed his hands too hard.

"Stop crying!" He ordered.

"I just can't… stop crying!" I sobbed.

He dabbed me at the eyes again.

"Ow!" I wailed.

I swatted his hand.

He put his hands on my eyes and wiped them like he's wiping the floor.

"You are an idiot!" He said.

I gasped, and then pushed his face away with my right hand. His hands are still on my face though but I already stopped crying, then.

"Don't call a girl idiot! Idiot! You are as rude as ever!"

Someone giggled.

"Look, what are they doing?" One voice said.

"Aww. That's so sweet." Another said.

Aomine and I jump away from each other to stop causing some misunderstandings. And then I kicked him in the sheens, not that hard, but he winced anyway. I ran away.

"_Baka_!" I shouted at him. He growled at me.

"Thanks!" I waived. In fairness, he was trying to console me. Even if it was to save himself from embarrassment.

For the third and fourth quarter, Tetsu really did great doing his thing with the ball. And then Aida-sempai finally pulled Teppei-nii out on the last quarter. He's burdening Hyuuga-sempai actually. And when Teppei-nii is finally out, Hyuuga-sempai is making 3-points shot successively. He's actually amazing.

And then that bastard Hanamiya had to make it worse when he almost hurt Tetsu. Tetsu thankfully dodged the elbowing again, but jeez. He's the lowest life form ever. That only made Tetsu angrier.

And thus we won.

The whole time I was sitting there and just watching and cheering them (silently) I was devising some plan on how to get even with Hanamiya Makoto. I feel so bad, but I just want to teach him some kind of a lesson, you know. Some sort of revenge. That's why I said I am a bad person. Instead of thinking about Seirin, I was thinking about inflicting pain on him. I was really surprised that my anger caused me to be like this.

The buzzer for time out came, and the score was 76-70 in favor of Seirin. I was so happy, that I stood speechless gaping at them.

And then a big hand touched my head and started ruffling my hair.

Teppei-nii is standing beside me and is giving me that gentle smile again, I suddenly felt crappy about what I did to him in the backroom.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Maya-chan." He said.

And I bit my lips again. I'm going to cry. Just how many times should I cry?!

"Mmmph!" I just said. Talking is difficult to do at that time.

And then he and Hyuuga-sempai high-fived for the first time. Aida-sempai shed some tears on that scene. Hyuuga-sempai then touched my head too. Followed by Izuki-sempai and then Mitobe-senpai, and then the rest of them.

I could feel my face burning and turning red.

"We won." Tetsu said to me.

"Mmm…" I nodded as I closed my eyes. I was trying to smile for them. I mean, it's really not time to be crying. But its so hard.

And then Taiga grabbed my head. It's been a long time since he'd done that to me.

"Oi, have you forgotten what you said to me?" He said. "You said, fuck off."

"Erk. I didn't say that." I fidgeted.

"Yes, you did."

I looked at Taiga and saw his eyes were getting dim. Uh-oh.

And then I called Tetsu for help. And the three of us banter like the usual.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. I still hate Hanamiya Makoto. I hope he'll get cooties! If I were to become an assassin, he is in the top of my list. I actually saw when we were about to go home. I wanted to give him an upper-cut that time. To satisfy my thirst for revenge on him, the only thing I did was to simulate my revenge. Uhg. I'm going to make sure he'll get what he deserves, someday. I hate him.


	24. The Perks of Murasakibara Atsushi

**Updated again. Yay! Hopefully I won't be busy anymore, so I can write:P**

**Oh, and, the day when Maya will meet Akashi-kun is getting nearer. Can you feel it?! Hahaha.**

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**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

_"Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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**November 20**

Dear Friend,

What am I about to tell you all started when an opened chocolate bar was left alone in the living room table. Coincidentally, it was my favorite brand of chocolate. No one was there but me, so obviously I have no choice but to eat it. Because:

1. It's already opened.

2. The chocolate might get spoiled.

3. I REALLY LOVE CHOCOLATES.

So I ate it. But the moment I put it in my mouth, took a bite and feasted on how heavenly it was, Mom suddenly appeared behind me like a ghost and whispered in my ear in an accusing ghastly voice:

"You just ate that didn't you?"

I just have to point out that I was in the middle of swallowing it, so it's like, the chocolate, due to my shock and surprise got stuck in my throat like an Adam's apple! I choked! I can't even breathe! Actually, I was beginning to wonder why I haven't died yet considering how many times the near-death choking has happened to me this year.

"Mom!" I yelled after I swallowed the whole thing. Instead of looking guilty, she just smiled at me sweetly and gave me a glass of water to drink. The whole thing was a set up to make me do a favor for her. This is how my Mom does things. I mean, really, I love her, but she is so abusive.

"What is it?!" I demanded.

"Why don't we sit down first, Maya." She said. Which is equivalent to: It's very hard to take, you need to sit down.

I had a bad feeling about it then. Not just because I don't want to do it.

"You do know that I joined an association…" Mom started.

"Uhh…" was all I said, because this is the part where I should listen.

"And the association is committed for social works." She explained.

Duh.

"One of them is doing community services like teaching children."

Children?! I started squirming.

"Especially in remote places." Mom paused.

I started sweating.

"I volunteered but unfortunately, Dad and I have to attend an event on the same date, and that's the one I cannot compromise, so Maya, can you do it in my stand? Please?" Mom asked me very nicely.

I gulped. "Mom, so you are saying that I have to babysit kids from somewhere?"

She just smiled.

"Mom! You know I don't like hanging around with kids!" I nearly screamed and I know she knew it very well. I am not really good with kids. I mean, I don't hate them. I just don't really like to be around them so much, especially with the kids who were suffering from adrenalin rush. I don't know why, so please don't ask me.

"You're not exactly going to babysit them. You're going to help the worker who's going to be teaching them. And I think it's the more reason that you should go. It's time to cure that baby-phobia of yours. Hohoho~"

And just to make everything worse, Mom said:

"Oh, and it's in Akita." She said.

I almost flipped over. She's so right about sitting on the couch.

"I'll babysit in Akita?! Mom!"

Just so you know, it's like 9 or 8 (I'm not really sure) train stops from Tokyo. That's like very far. That's more or less than four hours! I don't even know how to get there.

"You'll be going by plane, don't worry." She consoled, as if she heard me.

My Mom is evil. She wanted me to die! I am acrophobic! She's my mother! She knows that! And she wanted me to travel by plane! I can't go by plane unless it is extremely necessary. Like, life necessitates that I ride planes! And babysitting isn't in my extremely necessary list.

But before I could protest to this injustice, Mom took my hands and patted them.

"Thank you, Maya."

And that's the end of discussion. She stood and left me with the damn chocolate!

I am so powerless. Life is so unfair.

In the end, I went to Akita. That 40-minute ride was the longest 40 minutes in my life ever. I was stomach sick the whole time, and it left me in a very bad mood.

The one who met me at the airport is the one whom I'll be helping. Her name is Akari-san. We did the introductions and then walked outside to her car.

"Are you alright, Maya-san?" She asked, politely concerned. "You look… uhm… blue…"

I can't even hide my discomfort even if I want to.

"Don't mind me. I'm always like this whenever I ride planes."

"Flight jitters?" She inquired.

"More of height-phobia." I confessed.

"I'm really sorry for putting you up into this." She apologized.

"No, really. It's alright Akari-san." I assured her.

"Still…Your mother explained to me the situation. And I can never be thankful that you actually volunteered to help us. The center is in a difficult situation right now, and we need whatever help we can get." Akari-san explained.

First, was: What situation?! Who volunteered who?! OMG! My Mom lied to her! LIED to her! I did not volunteer to any of this!

Second: When I heard 'center', my gut feeling said that I was SO right about babysitting.

Akari-san told me that she's 25. The center is her family's and she took over when her father died five years ago. This made me think what have I been doing in my life? I mean, obviously, Akari-san is so hard-working while I do nothing. And then she said, she has a seven year-old son, and I was glad that I am not doing anything. Seriously.

When we arrived at the center and I saw the kids, I wanted to back-out. They are much older! Like ranging from five to twelve years old. That's the age when they are very much hyper!

Akari-san introduced me and the kids flock to me like a heard of sheep. They keep asking questions because I am a foreigner and they keep touching me. I think that's supposed to be cute, but gosh, all that did to me was to make me exhausted. It's like they're sucking all the life energy out of my body with their hand-suckers or something. I wanted to faint.

"Hai, hai. Behave yourselves, children. Maya-onesan will play with you later." Akari-san said. And then she pulled some rugged-boy out of the flock. He is the tallest.

"This is my son, Kai. He will help you in taking care of the other kids."

"If you have any questions just ask me Maya-nee." He said with a big smile that it actually transformed his face. And I just know that ten years from now he is going to be phenomenal. My heart actually stopped for a bit. I mean, he called me '-nee'. Robin never called me –nee/neechan before.

Wah! This is so pedophilistic! I'm so sorry!

"Thank you, Kai." I said. And then I did a head count. There are ten kids, including Kai. And all of them were in the process of playing! I can't handle this! Ten! I can't even handle one!

And then a phone rang. It's coming from their office.

"Let me just get that." Akari-san excused herself.

AND after half an hour of looking after them (because Akari-san is still not done talking in the phone), I wanted to go home. They are all suffering from ADHD, I swear. And then this chubby little boy, who looked like he was raised in McDonalds, started eating paste. When I took it from him, he has the audacity to cry. So I gave it back. What else am I supposed to do?! Kai told me it's ok to give the paste back, anyway. My soul was about to leave my body when Akari-san came back. She took over and told them stories for an hour. And then its break time.

Just. Like. That.

"Uh-oh." Akari said worriedly.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"I forgot to buy them snacks, this is the last batch and we don't have anything for the afternoon."

"Oh…"

"Maya-san, could you distribute these foods to them? I'll run to the grocery store. I will be quick, I promise. The grocery store is just few blocks away from here." Akari-san said pushing me all these sugar-containing foods on me.

My mind was suddenly screaming 'NO! NO! I CAN'T! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME WITH THEM'.

Oh, god. I am so bad. I deserve divine punishment here or something. I actually felt dread!

"Actually, Akari-san. I could, instead, do the buying. You don't have to tire yourself out." I suggested.

I. AM. SUCH. A. HYPOCRITE.

"Are you sure Maya-san? It's your first time here in Akita, right?" she asked.

"No worries. I feel bad not doing anything."

I lied.

"But you've done so much already."

"No. Please let me do this." I half-begged.

Akari-san looked at me like I'm the nicest girl in the whole universe. It made me feel worse. I am so guilty now. I will go to hell. I didn't really mean to but I honestly prefer doing an errand of grocery-shopping rather than be with sugar-drugged kids. What's wrong with me? I am good with taking care of animals, why can't I with children? Treating them is basically the same. OK. Not really. But you get the point.

She's even so kind to draw me a map. Akari-san then handed me a list of specific snacks that I should buy. I scanned them down. One of them is 'Chili Oil Tomato Flavor Chips'. Do kids eat that kind of flavor? And it's spicy! I mean, what kinds of kids eat chili-flavored snacks?! And is that even healthy?!

"Chili oil tomato…?" I asked.

Akari-san smiled. "Yes. It's actually their favorite."

Ok. So. I didn't ask any more questions. Whatever.

The grocery store is far! And mind you, Akita City is a really cold place. I walked two or three kilometers or something because when I arrived I am so out of breath and freezing! I immediately took a large cart and shove all the stuffs listed. I even added two or three items just for precautionary measure. And then I bought fruit juices and milk. And then I took all the Chili Oil Tomato Flavor Chips in the shelf!

I pushed the cart straight to the counter but someone got in the way. Like, he literally walked in the middle of the way to stop me. I was about to glare to that someone, but I had to crane my neck up just to see his face. Somehow, I knew who it was. He was staring down at me and he's doing it way worse than Taiga. I really feel small.

"Arugyaakk!" I made a weird-taken aback sound. "Musa…Mubara..Mu…Mu…"

Shit.

Ok. I can't really say his name properly. This is so embarrassing!

"Musashi! What are you doing here?!" I blurted out.

I was shock to see Murasakibara Atsushi a.k.a Musashi there! Ok, not really shock. Just in case you haven't noticed, I am bound to meet all of Tetsu's crazed middle-school friends. It's like my cursed destiny or something and I accepted that fact to MY unfair life already. So, instead of shocked, I was more of surprised.

Musashi didn't answer me; instead he looked at all the foods in the cart.

"You took them all…" He complained.

He is so tall. I hate it. My neck was already cramped with just a minute of looking at him.

"I'm sorry?" I asked for clarification.

"You took all the Chili Oil Tomato Flavor Chips." He repeated. Slowly.

"Oh, do you want one?" I gave him one which I am fully aware that it's not enough, being around with Taiga the Glutton so much. Musashi took it.

And well, because I am a girl and hoping. I asked: "Uhm, is Tatsuya with you?"

Musashi shook his head.

"Oh…" I said disappointedly. I was kind of expecting the two of them were more like Tetsu and Taiga who were always together. Like, ALWAYS. "Well, then see you… waaaa!" Before I could finish the sentence, I saw him opening the chips.

I immediately snatch it away from him.

"You haven't paid for this yet. Don't open it!" I reprimanded him.

"But I'm already hungry…" He complained like a child.

That's why I can't stand Tetsu's friends, they are like this!

"Well, we have to pay this first." I said.

So we went to the counter, paid for everything and end up with Musashi coming with me to the daycare center. I don't exactly know how it happened, but well, the stuffs I bought are too much for me to carry, so I needed his help. And he needed something to eat.

"I'm so sorry for making you carry all these things." I apologized.

"I don't really mind. You treated me with the chips anyway." He said while eating in between words.

"So this is where you live?" I asked.

"Hnn, this is where I study. Yosen High is near here."

He didn't really answer my question but I didn't press. I mean, I was really trying hard to make conversation here.

"So you're going to Yosen now?"

"Hnnn." He lazily replied.

"Then I can take it from here. You can go to your school." I said.

He looked down on me with his droopy eyes and it took a really awkward minute before he answered.

"It's ok, it's just practice anyway."

"Then the more that you should go!" I said.

"I don't need to practice." He said smugly.

Oh, god. I know where this is going. I grumbled at him. And it suddenly hit me.

"If you're going to practice, then Tatsuya-kun is also going, right?!"

"I guess."

And then me inside was rejoicing because there's a big chance that I can see the father of my future children. I'm sure I can tolerate our children... wah! What am I thinking?!

We arrived at the center and Musashi coolly entered with me. Akari-san almost screamed when she saw Musashi.

"Ara…ara…is this why you wanted to do the grocery? Is he your boy…" She immediately teased. I raised my hands in front to stop her.

"Acquaintances. We were just acquaintances!"

"Really?" She asked smiling.

"Yes. And he's just here to help me with the groceries. Right, Musashi?"

I looked back and he took another Chili chips from the bag, opened it and took a bite.

"My name is Murasakibara Atsushi." He said, more to me than to Akari-san.

"How many did you already open?!" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"They were for the children!" I said to him exasperatedly.

And then as if on cue they came out of the classroom and saw Musashi. Kai shouted.

"Whoaaahhaaaaaa! He's so tall!" Kai yelled, totally amazed. All the children were actually staring up at him, awed.

"Ne, ne, Giant-san, can you carry me?" The smallest of them said. And she's a girl.

"Ha?" Musashi asked.

"Don't, if you don't want to." I advised.

But the little girl already grabbed his arm, and Musashi lifted her without effort, while he ate. The little girl cried in glee. And well, the rest of the kids wanted to have their turn. And then Musashi and the kids entered the play room. I face palm.

I was glad the kid's attention weren't on me anymore, but well, this isn't what supposed to happen. He wasn't even supposed to be here with them. With me!

Akari-san and I followed them.

"Musashi! I thought you have practice!" I reminded him.

"Practice?" Akari-san inquired.

"He plays basketball and he's on his way there." I explained.

"I told you, I don't need to go. It's just practice." Musashi said nonchalantly. If Aida-sempai heard him, she'll kill him. He just called the practice, just practice.

"But…" I protested. Honestly, compared to the other Gen-M, he is the most difficult to handle. Tetsu said he's like a child and he is! I have enough 'child' for the day. Add to it, that he is indifferent with everything! What is his deal anyway?! But well, I think, he is the one I could tolerate the most.

"Tsk, tsk, and it looks like he is enjoying with the kids too…" Akari-san said thoughtfully.

"You wanted him to stay!" I accused her.

"I didn't say anything like that." Akari-san said, laughing. "Ma, let him play with the kids for a while."

Of what seems for a while turned out to be hours! The kids were already infatuated with him. They were sitting on the floor and chatting up each other like they are of the same age. I can't believe this!

"Ne, ne. Onii-san, you play basketball right!?" One of the kids asked.

"Yeah." Musashi answered.

"Are you good?"

"Yes." He replied without hesitation. Couldn't he be more humble?

The boy smiled so wide. "Wah! I'll practice so hard so I can be like you!"

"Hnn~. Good as me? But I'm a genius. Are you a genius too?"

"Genius? I am not sure… but if I practice… I'm sure…" The boy hesitated.

"Even if you practice, if you do not…"

Ok, so I was listening to them, and I am beyond sure, he is going to destroy the dream of that kid. I can't believe he would discourage him! So, I interrupted.

"MUSASHI!" I yelled. "Open your mouth!"

All the attention turned to me. He did what I said and stopped talking. I dashed and turned 360 degrees with all my might to where he is with all the velocity effect. And then I shoved a sweetened biscuit inside his mouth with an "Uryaaa!"

I turned to the kid, smiled and patted his head.

"That's right! Onii-san said that if you practice hard, you're going to be a genius like him!"

"Wrong! Practice doesn't make you a geniu…" Musashi said. I shoved a couple of biscuits in his mouth.

"Don't go ruin their dreams, you jerk!" I whispered threateningly.

"But it's true. It's…"

I shoved another. "I said don't!"

He looked at me for a few seconds and then shrugged indifferently while chewing, giving up on the matter.

And then a loud beep from a car startled us. We all look outside, and there was a black limo parked in the front yard. Three men came down from the car. They were all bald, and in black suits.

Akari-san immediately ran toward the door when she saw a good-looking man (with hair), also in black suit (but you just know he is the boss) came out. Probably yakuza. Again.

I was scared because this time the yakuza looks like they were big time, and what's happening looks serious but I still followed Akari-san because she might be in danger. And then I came back to the play room to drag Musashi with me. I had the sense to bring him, you know, just in case the yakuza turned ballistic. He was the only one who could protect us if the worst happens.

"Musashi! Come with me!" I said urgently.

"Why?" He asked. What's happening is as clear as crystal and then he would ask WHY?! And he is not in the least bit bothered by what's happening! He would ask me why when I was exhausted and scared and not in the mood to deal with this!?

Instead of explaining to him, I pulled him up, but he was so heavy. I tried again, but he is not moving!

"Please, can you just come?" I begged.

"I don't like to." He said stubbornly.

"I'd give you more Chili something-something Chips later!" I said impatiently.

"Ok."

And he lazily stood up.

Ah. Why is this happening to me? What did I ever do to deserve this? All I want to do now is to go home.

And then, I remembered Kai.

"Kai, stay here with the other kids, ok?" I said. And he just nodded. As if what's happening is normal!

When Musashi and I arrived at the lobby, Akari-san and the Yakuza Boss were talking seriously and with intense familiarity. You could just see it by the way they look at each other.

"Akari-san, is everything all right!?" I asked.

She and the Yakuza Boss looked at our direction.

Akari-san half smiled. "Yes, Maya-chan. Don't worry about it. Everything is under control."

She is lying, of course.

"No, everything is not all right. Who are these kids?" The Yakuza Boss asked Akari-san, pointing us.

"They are helping with taking care of the children, ok. Don't make a big deal about it." Akari-san said to him.

The Yakuza Boss stared at our direction. And then he looked at Musashi. And then he smiled creepily.

"Oi, Giant!" He called Musashi. "Do you play basketball?"

Musashi nodded unenthusiastically.

Yakuza Boss laughed and did the eureka sign with his hands and said:

"What about we settle this in a basketball match?" He asked.

"Ren, this is not something to be settled in a game." Akari-san said a matter-of-factly.

"Well, you don't want to settle this civilly."

"Kai is not going with your father this weekend." Akari-san pressed, calmly.

"We will settle this in a basketball match." The Yakuza Boss reiterated.

Akari-san pouted at him while Yakuza Boss smiled at her.

"Fine!"

And I stood there gaping at them. They are obviously Kai's parents! Yakuza Boss is Kai's father. And Yakuza Boss' father - the Ultimate Yakuza Boss, is borrowing Kai for the weekend. Akari-san don't want to (like, hello?! they are damned yakuzas, even I don't want to). Yakuza Boss don't like Akari-san's decision, so they will settle it in a basketball match.

Just because Yakuza Boss is a basketball fan and Musashi is obviously a basketball player.

And I obviously don't want to get involved in any of this craziness. This is completely abnormal! ABNORMAL, I tell you! Who the f*ck will decide the fate of his son with basketball?! Basketball!? Are you kidding me?!

And you know what?! They could have played one-on-one! But Yakuza Boss wanted to do it three-on-three! And the one who can only play on the Daycare Team were me, Akari-san and Musashi.

I wanted to knock my head on cement real hard! This development is just plain ridiculous.

We were already wearing jerseys that came out of nowhere and were now on an open court near-by. (One of Yakuza Boss' hood looms was in-charge of guarding the kids in the center).

And that's not even the problem.

I wanted our team to win, but to my shame, I don't freaking know how to play basketball. And to think that I am the manager of a basketball team. I am so useless.

I mean, I already tried dribbling the ball. But to play it is a different matter. My body is really not coordinated! The only athletic thing that I could do is to run! But to run and dribble at the same time, well, that is impossible. For me.

I told Akari-san this fact and she giggled.

"Don't worry Maya-chan, I also don't know how to play basketball."

Can I remind you that we are playing to decide about Kai's weekend?!

"And besides, there's Murasakibara-kun." She added.

I slapped my forehead. We are so going to lose. It's a team play, not one-on-one.

"To make it even, I'll let each one of you shoot." Yakuza Boss said. He picked two of his goons who weren't tall, but the three of them are all male, so, well, we are still the team who is at its disadvantage the most.

"Musashi, please do your best." I said, crying waterfall. "You're the only one here who can play! We have to win."

"I don't want to lose either." He said. Which I think is a good thing.

He was the first one to shoot the ball, and obviously it went in. And then Akari-san and it went in. Ok, to be honest, I've never tried shooting. And when I threw the ball, it never even touched the ring. How embarassing!

"Ahaha. You can try again - until it will go in." Yakuza Boss said.

He was patronizing me! I can't believe this.

And I could never be more humiliated. I tried, like five times. Five! And the damn ball never went it. The worst part is that I tried my best. I mean, I even tried the technique Sakuragi used when he was shooting for a free-throw, and it still did not go in!

I am starting to get pissed.

"Uhm, maybe your friend can help you?" Yakuza Boss suggested.

"Help? Can he just shoot my share?!" I asked squeaking.

"I said, each. And I'm giving your team an opportunity." He said.

I stared at him. Kai's father is a total nut job. He is totally crazy. He's enjoying this! He is enjoying my suffering!

"So, how about you help her?" Yakuza Boss turned to Musashi.

"Okay." He said.

Musashi crouched in front of me. And then he patted his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"You are going to dunk the ball." He said.

I think he is being kind and all - wanting me to dunk the ball (to regain my pride), but I also think he is seeing me as a child – a very small child. He wanted me to shoulder ride! But well, just to get it over with, I complied - which is a total mistake by the way, because I forgot that he is two-meters tall. The moment he stood up, and I saw how high I was from the ground, I almost puked. Nausea attacked me again. How can I possibly get this over with?! I feel so sick. I started getting dizzy and my face fell flat at the top of his head. And I thought it was wonderful. His hair, I mean. Aside from long, it's so soft and smells like candy. Like a girl. Which told me again how unfair life is. My hair is the complete opposite! I am not kidding!

He started walking and it made me feel worse. When we were already in the head board, Musashi gave me the ball. The ring was almost at my level. And I tried my hardest to put the ball in. But someone called Musashi that I missed the opportunity. Arg!

I gave up that second.

"Atsushi-kun!"

So he turned. I turned (no choice).

And my head hit the headboard. Super hard.

"GRGA... AWCH!" I cried. It hurt like b*tch! My eyes started to water, and I kind of pulled Musashi's hair in the process. He lost his balance and he lost his grip on my knees. I started to fall forward.

I was thinking that that's how I would die after all. Falling. Not chocking.

"Look out!" Someone said. And I saw him. He was stretching his arms forward to catch me. And I actually willed myself to fall, you know. Tatsuya-kun is so beautiful.

I fell in his arms, but he lost his footing, so he also fell.

Ok. The TRUTH is:

I was probably that heavy that he cannot carry my weight! I wanted to die.

But I fell on top of him, so let me live for the moment.

Kyaa! Oh my god. That is the closest that I got near him! Oh my god. If this is an anime, and I am a guy and Tatsuya-kun's a girl, I am definitely holding her breast. I would have groped it, you know, except I can't grope anything. I can only feel it and it's as firm as any man's breast. Gyaa! I am so perverted!

And that mole. My god. It's a total turn on. I got a good look at his face. And it's perfect.

"Are you alright, Maya?" He asked.

I am aware he asked me, but I can't speak. I am staring at him. Salivating (figuratively, thank god!). And he speaks beautifully too. Everything he does is beautiful! And he has the nicest lips ever. I mean, I never noticed it before, but he has really nice lips. Oh, jeez. I don't mind this development.

I wanted to kiss him.

"Can I kiss you?" I heard myself say. My eyes got so big . Oh god. Kill me! I DIDN'T JUST SAY THAT, DID I?!

I was completely mortified.

I turned red! My whole face turned tomato red. I covered my mouth. This is embarrassing. Wah! Why did I say that?!

But Tatsuya-kun laughed. And it was beautiful.

"You just surprise me every time! Hahaha!" He said. I was still on top of him, FYI.

"I'm so sorry! Please forget what I just said!" I squawked.

"You really want me to forget that?" He asked. I am not sure if he is serious. But my heart is beating erratically. It's going to explode.

"Wha…what do youuuuuu… you mean?!" I stammered stupidly.

"I'll kiss you." Tatsuya-kun said. OH MY GOD!

I was stupefied. Is this real?!

"If you win the Winter Cup Finals against us." He added.

I don't know how much confidence he has that they're going to win, but well, our chance isn't exactly zero and I'm sure he knows that! Oh my god!

Before I could speak, Musashi's (mega) big hand held my head and I felt an extreme pain on the back of my head.

"Ouch!" I cried again.

I was annoyed that he can't read the atmosphere between me and Tatsuya-kun and he have to interrupt at that precise moment!

"Sorry, Maya-chin." He apologized. I gawked at him.

It's the first time he called me by my name and I was, well, happy about that so I forgave him also that second.

"It's ok." I said as I started getting up, avoiding any eye contact with Tatsuya-kun. I can't look at him. I can never look at him when I was blushing like crazy. But I can feel that he was looking at me. And that makes me blush more.

"Muro-chin, what are you doing here?" Musashi asked Tatsuya-kun.

"I think I should be the one asking you that question." He said already standing.

"We are playing basketball." Musashi said, as if that explains all.

Akari-san and I explained to Tatsuya-kun the situation and he wanted to help, so he ended up substituting Akari-san. Yakuza Boss permitted it.

While I stayed. He let me stay!

Damn it.

I am very happy that I can play alongside Tatsuya-kun, but I can't play! Why didn't I get substituted?! I am actually the one injured here!

Anyway, we played two quarters. And we naturally won.

And in the end, the one who decided if he will go or not is Kai. And he chose to spend the weekend with his cousins.

Yakuza Boss is not a yakuza. His family is just rich. The situation between him and Akari-san is complicated, that's why they can't fix the problem with the center or something. I mean, honestly speaking, I don't care - because I don't have the right to stick my business in theirs in the first place.

I am just happy that this baby-sitting business is over.

And I saw Tatsuya-kun. And well, Musashi-kun is actually nice. He bought me an ice cream before the two of them went to their practice.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. I asked Tatsuya-kun if he was serious about the kiss thing. I can't believe I asked that but well, I found the courage, because if I didn't, it will bug the hell out of me. It will not make me sleep! I didn't even remember how it happened exactly. I mean, I am finally having a love life. Or something like a love life. I am not sure. I don't like to assume, but…ahhhh!

And he said he is serious (with a serious smiling face and all). WHAAAAAAA! I almost hyperventilated. He is serious! If we won, HE will kiss me. Taiga and Tetsu must do everything to win!

After I went home, I told Mom that if ever she has social work in Akita, she should call me.

P.S.S. Does this mean Tatsuya-kun is interested in me?! F*ck. I remembered saying I will climb Tokyo Tower if he does, right?!


	25. The Perks of the Peeping Masters

**Next Chap! Winter Cup and Akashi.**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

* * *

**November 21**

Dear Friend,

The club went to the _onsen_ today. AND the whole thing de-virginized me.

Well. Ok. My EYES only.

I can now say that I am not that innocent anymore. Hahaha!

It's actually Toru and Mika's fault. The two of them went with us and you know how those two do things when there are a lot of, uhm, boys. It was chaos!

Ok. Fine.

You know how WE are when we get into those stuffs… we do things which really are perverted. I am actually ashamed to be writing this. I don't even know why I have to write this! Uhg!

Anyway.

Last Tuesday, I ask Mika and Toru to come with me to the second floor to submit my club report to Aida-sempai. The report was actually due Monday, but I totally forgot about it. And then out of nowhere, Aida-sempai suddenly asked me if I wanted to go to the hot springs with the entire club this coming weekend and I was like:

"Aida-sempai, are you sick?!" I reached out to her with trembling hands while my face was in total shock.

"How rude! It wouldn't hurt the team if we relax once in a while. And besides, I thought you never went to an _onsen_ before." Aida-sempai said, a little bit insulted.

"But Aida-sempai, are you sure? What about practice?"

I can't believe I am hearing about this from her when she's so strict about practicing. She never missed a day telling us about how important this Winter Cup is. I mean, the guys have been practicing non-stop! There were even days when Aida-sempai's father was the one training the boys. It was tedious! I was thankful that I am just the manager.

"Relaxing is also a form of training." She said sagely.

My suspicions started to arise.

"Maybe, it's really you who wanted to go to the hot springs…" I said.

Aida-sempai laughed comically.

"Hahaha! What are you saying? Actually, my classmate said that she'll give us a really big discount to their _onsen_ inn. It's an opportunity that we cannot miss." She confessed.

"Are we that poor?!" I asked her, but she disregarded my question.

"Hai, hai! Senpai!" Mika called, raising her right hand.

"What is it, Mika-chan?"

Ok, just to point it out. She calls Mika and Toru with a suffix of –chan, while she calls me ONLY by my name. I don't think it's unfair or anything but, well, it's a difference that I just happen to notice.

"Can Toru and I come with you to the hot springs?" Mika asked innocently.

"What!" I reacted violently.

"_Ii, janai!_ There's no class on Monday since it's a holiday, anyway." Mika pouted at me.

"No way!" I said.

"Why not, it's in a package anyway." Was Aida-sempai's answer.

"Yay!" Toru and Mika clapped in glee.

So, you see. If they are coming, I have to make extensive preparations. Like, I have to really prepare. Mostly, MENTAL. And I tell you that it was VERY difficult, especially with what happened yesterday. I was so busy thinking about Tatsuya-kun and his lips and my lips and how those two body parts will fit perfectly together that I practically ended up awake all night. I barely slept! Gah! I can't believe my hormones!

We met at the school and borrowed the school bus (and the bus driver - varsity privilege) that will take us at the onsen inn. Taiga and Tetsu were so shocked when they saw Toru and Mika with me.

"What are you doing here?!" Taiga scowled at them.

I can't believe Aida-sempai didn't tell them. Mika and Toru jabbed me to supply him the information. Violence is a form of love in our friendship POV.

"They are going to the hot springs with us." I said.

"What?!" Taiga yelled.

I sighed tiredly.

"Does Aida-sempai know?" Tetsu asked.

"They wouldn't be here if she doesn't know, Tetsu." I said.

"I'm just saying." Tetsu said.

"It seems that you don't like us to be here." Toru said.

"Yes." Was Taiga's answer.

"It's just that when the three of you get together…." Tetsu started.

I gaped at Tetsu. "Three?! You are including me?!"

"There's always trouble." Taiga finished.

"I can't believe you included me!" I complained to Tetsu but he just creepily stared at me.

"That's so rude!" Mika gasped.

"It's the truth." Taiga said bluntly.

The three of us looked at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Sometimes, I wonder if Taiga would ever have a girlfriend. He is such a crass! My gawd!

The senpais came and asked what's going on. After we told them what's happened, Teppei-nii laughed and patted the two boys' shoulders.

"Isn't it alright?! The more the merrier." Teppei-nii said.

"And besides, the Coach already paid their fees." Izuki-sempai said.

"Why don't we just enjoy this _onsen_ since it's a precious break for all of us." Hyuuga-sempai said.

And when the three of them said so, Taiga and Tetsu don't have a say in the matter.

When we arrived at the onsen inn, it's just like any inn you see in anime that I got excited again. The room we got is too big for four girls and it's actually nice. Sani-sempai (the classmate) is really being a good hostess to us. We just started unpacking when Aida-sempai said she's already going to the hot springs. I knew she is that excited! I was about to join her too, but Mika and Toru grabbed (more like broke) my shoulders to pull me back.

"We will go later Aida-senpai." Toru said.

"What's the deal?!" I demanded when Aida-sempai was gone.

"We have to talk." Mika said.

"About what?!"

"You are aware this is an onsen, right!?" Toru said.

"Uhh… so?" I asked. At this point, I am too pure to be getting what they are talking about.

"Just beyond this wall are boys, Maya." Mika said, pointing the wall. "A lot of boys."

I scrunched my face.

Mika and Toru sighed as if they had enough of my stupidity.

"Naked boys!" The two said and I almost lost my breath.

Ok, it wasn't that difficult for me to imagine the guys naked so I turned red and my head eventually exploded.

"Yuuu….you are nnoo…not suggesting to peep at them, a..are you?!" I stammered like a pervert.

"No. I'm saying we will peep at them." Mika said seriously.

"What she said." Toru said.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!" I freaking yelled EVEN though I got excited about the peeping thing. I am so shameful! I am so sorry.

"Maya, this is a part of my research." Mika explained.

"What are you talking about?"

"This is for my manga!" Mika said.

"She's desperate." Toru said.

"Why do we have to peep at them?" I asked.

"I know you want to." Mika pointed out.

I put my hands in my temple. "That's not the issue here!"

By now, as you noticed, I already accepted that the three of us were perverts.

"Anyway… they're probably bathing already." Toru said.

"Get ready!" Mika instructed.

"No way!" I refused. Peeping is peeping.

"Sorry, you can't back away on this one!" Toru said. And the two of them grabbed me and stripped me naked and then put me in this onsen-kimono. And the next thing I knew, we were walking to the female onsen.

"You do realize that I am willing to do this for your manga, right?!" I said to Mika.

"Uhh, yeah." Mika said.

"Everyone already read your manga, except for me – your friend." I stated.

"Well, if you can pull this through, maybe I can let you read it." Mika considered.

"What exactly are you drawing?!" I asked her even though I already have an idea.

"_Ma_! You'll find it out eventually. There is a time for everything." Toru said, tapping my shoulder.

"So basically I needed to be a Peeping Tom so just I could read it?!" I said sarcastically.

"Fufufu! You'll be shock what else you will become after you read her manga." Toru laughed.

"Ha…" I sighed heavily.

"Well girls, I think it's time to join Aida-sempai." Mika announced.

And that's totally a mistake. I wish I never was the one who opened the door.

That's because Aida-sempai and Momoi-san were boob-fighting. Yes, I'm still at shock right now while writing this. They were facing and glaring at each other while the Cup B is against Cup F or something. It was so _yuri _(ugh) and scary! There's a hate aura coming from Aida-sempai.

I mean, I can't believe Aida-sempai would even fight Momoi-san considering her obvious (total, no doubt) loss. The three of us were so shock that all the water from our faces dried up.

"Whhaa…what the hell!" I cried.

Toru and Mika exaggeratedly fell on their knees. Both of them held their breast. (When you go to an onsen, you bathe naked. That's what Japanese people do, so… yeah, we were all naked here.)

"She's a first year like us, right?!" Mika said.

"THIS IS CLEARLY AN INJUSTICE!" Toru proclaimed and then punched the ground.

"Senpai, what is going on here?!" I asked Aida-sempai and then turned my head to Momoi-san. "And why are you here?!"

"Hello to you, too." Momoi-san said calmly. And then she faced me. I know hers are already bigger, but reality does hurt. I was completely degraded.

"I was just telling Riko-san that we will be your first opponent for the winter cup finals." Momoi-san said gleefully.

"Just for that?… All the way here?… Really?..." I said expressionlessly.

These basketball freaks!

Aida-sempai came out of the bath.

"Huh?! Already done senpai?" Mika asked.

"Yeah, the heat is already making me dizzy."

"Ok then, see you later, senpai." Toru said.

And when she was gone, the three of us dipped into the hot waters - staying in a considerable distance from Momoi-san. But since it's my first time, I couldn't help but take pleasure in it. I made relieving sounds, like: Ahh! and Wahh!

"You sound like an old woman." Momoi-san said to me.

"It's her first time." Toru and Mika explained to her.

"What exactly did you say to Aida-sempai?" I asked her.

"Nothing. I just told her to have a good match." Momoi-san feigned innocence.

"You definitely hit a nerve." I said.

She smiled cutely at us. "Well, I kind of said that Touou will be the one to win."

Where exactly are they getting their confidence from? How sure are they that they're going to win?! But at that moment, I don't care because I thought we were having a break from basketball.

I bent my neck upward and stared at the now darkening sky.

"Ugh, whatever." I said without an ounce of interest.

Momoi-san stood up. The three of us saw her body again and froze. She smirked. We flinched. Damn that body!

"Since my business here is already finished, I guess I'll see you at the finals, Maya-san." She paused. "And friends."

We watched her (sexy) back as she went away.

"I can't believe we were categorized as 'friends'." Toru said incredulously.

"She probably forgot your names." I offered.

"Anyway… the pressing matter is, the Seirin guys weren't the only one on the other side, right?!" Mika said, her eyes sparkling that I thought she's on drugs.

The three of us went out from the water again and walked towards the tall bamboo wall that separates us from the boys. I can't believe myself for feeling nervous. I am fully aware that girls shouldn't be the one doing this, but there we are, feeling up the wall. This is shameful!

"Are we really going to do this?!" I asked, sweating.

I was looking at the wall. And just beyond are naked boys. I gulped.

"There's no turning back!" Mika said.

DADUM DADUM DADUM! Says my heart. Oh gosh.

Toru and Mika pressed their ears on the wall. I followed their lead.

"I can't hear anything." Toru said.

"Maybe they're already finished." I said.

"No, they're not." Mika said.

"I don't know why you are so sure about that."

"Tch, tch. It all came from experience, Maya. Yosh! Look for holes!" Mika said.

"Hehehe. I wonder what Kagami-kun's will look like." Toru said, salivating.

"Ugh, Toru!" I reprimanded.

"What?! Wouldn't be this the time to see Kuroko-kuns?! Freud, hello?!" Toru said wiping the saliva off her face.

"I kind of want to see Izuki-senpai's too." Mika said.

"Izuki-senpai?!" I almost yelled. "Since when did you have an interest with Izuki-sempai?!"

"Didn't you know?! He is the most popular in the Basketball Club." Toru informed me.

"Well, yeah, he was kind of cool too… except for his puns." I said.

"Puns?" Mika and Toru asked.

"Never mind." I brushed off. I wouldn't be the one to bad-mouth Izuki-sempai, but to be honest, he's also a weirdo. He has this thing with puns that he thinks are funny. I don't even have the words to describe it. I mean, I have been ignoring all of his puns ever since I met him. It's really bad. I don't know why on earth he took interest with something like that.

"And I am pretty sure this is also what they are doing at the other side." Mika said, grinning widely. "Doesn't it… doesn't it get you a bit excited?!"

"Hentai!" I said to Mika. But then, who am I to talk?

We looked for peeping holes for a few minutes and when we are about to give up, I saw a very small hole.

"Ah! There it is." I said excitedly. (KILL ME!) The hole is located just behind the bush planted on the bottom left of the bamboo wall.

Mika pushed me away before I could even take a look at it and SHOOSH! I flew away. She's that strong. She was blushing and all when she placed her eye on the hole and then seconds later, she withdrew.

"Ahre?! No one's there!" She turned pale with shock and disappointment. She almost looks like suicidal. I am not kidding.

"Huh!? What do you mean, no one's there?!" Toru said, and she edged to the hole to see the view.

"You are right, no one is there!" Toru said like it's the end of the world.

"Maybe you're looking at the wrong angle." I said, and then tried peeping too, for the first time in my life, and I saw nothing! Bummer! The male onsen is deserted like a ghost town.

Mika who by now has gone mad due to frustration pushed the wall with all her strength. The wall trembled.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE MY SUBJECTS?!" She demanded crazily. She pushed the wall again.

"Mika, calm down!" I said, getting freaked out. If you saw Mika, you'll freak out too. Her eyes are swirling and her pupils are getting large. Her hair was even levitating insanely!

"It's useless Maya. Like I said earlier, she is that desperate…" Toru said. Mika pushed the wall again. I felt the ground shake.

"To see naked men?!" I continued her sentence. "And wait, is she this strong?!"

"Don't underestimate a _mangaka_." Toru said. She's not being helpful.

Mika pushed again. I kind of got scared. I mean, jeez. She pushed and pushed and I saw the bamboo wall cracked.

"Toru!" I cried.

"Hold her!" Toru instructed. I did. Toru pulled her. But it was useless. Mika turned crazy. She was babbling words that are out of this world. She kept pushing and pushing and the next thing I knew that bamboo wall cracked and fell. It created a loud BOOM! Toru and I screamed. The three of us fell flat on the bamboo wall, on our faces and butt-naked.

And then from the sauna room just meters away from the onsen, the boys came out. You can hear the pressure of something hot coming out. I lifted my face and TADAAAA! There they were! Standing and I kind of saw all of them. The Seirin's and the Touou's. Blood came out from one of my nose holes.

Because my eyes focused on theirs down there instinctively.

Even though it was foggy.

They saw us and all of them blushed.

I don't know what possessed me but I laughed/giggled/snickered/chuckled at them while looking down there.

"Aha…PFTGYAHAA!"

And then after that, the boys screamed (like girls) and scrammed away.

Mika was then crying happily, back to normal.

"Arigato, Kami-sama!" She praised.

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. The boys told us to Aida-sempai. Such sissies! I mean, technically it was all an accident. I mean, they saw our butts too! And I can't remember what _THEY _looked like anymore (the fog totally blocked my sight, I swear). But Aida-sempai got angry with us and made us wear these sign boards saying: "We are sorry for being perverts." And then she made us kneel for two hours. Seriously. It was a total humiliation for me!

Taiga and Tetsu (in his own way) laughed at us. And I'm guessing that those two will tease me for the rest of my life.

What's worse is that Aomine-san texted me and told me I was a _hentai_. I totally wanted to kill him. Touou will lose! I'll make sure of it.

P.S.S. On the topic of Basketball Freaks: Taiga will spend the remaining days in Los Angeles so that he could practice and learn basketball techniques from his master. Gosh! Really, man! He's way too dedicated. Just think about the expenses! (Yah, he's not thinking at all.)


	26. The Perks of Akashi Seijuro

**Read and Review and Follow and add to Favorites:) Hehehee!**

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

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**December 5**

Dear Friend,

I am really CURSED. My red strings of fate are connected to people who will make my life miserable! And I just met the person who can do it all by himself!

NAME: **AKASHI SEIJURO**

AGE: 16

SCHOOL: Rakuzan High School

DESCRIPTION: **A TOTAL PSYCHOPATH **(As in PSYCHO! He is the epitome of the very word!)

Isn't being the FREAK BOSS enough for him?! I wouldn't be shock if he becomes a serial killer ten years from now! In fact, I am sure he will be a killer! He tried to kill Taiga! I am not kidding. He used Midorima-san's scissors AND stabbed Taiga's face right in front of me! (Ok, Taiga (thankfully) evaded the attack, but what if he didn't! I haven't studied how to do stitches concerning facial lacerations yet!) Plus he BULLIED Furihata-san!

Tetsu and I seriously NEED TO TALK about his middle school friends. I'm actually beginning to think he is the one with the problem here!

Ugh. I wish I did not meet him at all. This day was supposed to be perfect and it wasn't! And it's all Taiga's fault. That idiot!

Who would book his flight the very same day (which is today) as the Winter Cup Finals!? I can't believe this (idiot glutton) guy! Japan is like TEN hours away from Los Angeles. Taiga should thank every _Kami-sama_ because he got the 2:15 AM flight or he has to face Aida-sempai in monster form. I mean, she was already a monster early this morning when she heard about Taiga. Aida-sempai has gone berserk and asked me to fetch Taiga in the airport! We were at the venue that time and I was really excited about the game and all and then she ORDERED me to GO to the airport and WAIT for Taiga!

I shouted rebelliously that I am not his keeper, but Aida-sempai Boston Crab Hold (aka THE MOST DEADLY ATTACK IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE!) me and I nearly died.

I have no choice. I waited for him like 2 hours and I missed the whole opening ceremony! Arg! I have never waited for anyone. More so for TWO FREAKING HOURS! Damn him!

I was ready to lash-out on him, but then he came out and grinned at me so widely I completely forgot what I was about to do.

"Yo, Maya!" He said. I can totally feel he was glad to see me. Or was it my imagination?!

"Don't 'yo' me, _aho_! Aida-sempai has gotten crazy. She said we should be there by 1 PM." I said tsudere-ish looking at my wrist watch. Time Check: 11:30 AM.

"I forgot the time difference." He explained.

"That just make you more stupid, you know." I glared.

"Jeez. I just arrived, cut me some slack!" He said exasperatedly.

"I just missed the Opening Ceremony because of you, and you want me to cut you some slack?!"

"I'm sorry! Like I said, I forgot the time difference!"

And then he took a pack of boxes of chocolates out from his travel bag.

"Oh yeah, before I forgot… here…" He gave it to me casually. I was stupefied for like five seconds. And then I took it from him (trembling like a 100-years old woman). Ignoring the fact that I constantly pestered him about bringing me some chocolates that were exclusively sold in L.A., I can't believe Taiga would give me something. Or even bother to buy. Much more remember! It looks really expensive too.

Blushing red, I cleared my throat. "Okay... Do you want me to shut up in the whole cab ride, or what?"

"That would be awesome, thank you!" He laughed. I rolled my eyes. He doesn't need to put it that way!

And, ok. I wasn't true to my words. I still talked. I asked him what he did there and stuff. He animatedly told me. Not that I am really interested, I asked him that for the sake of conversation. But Taiga is really happy talking about basketball. Real freaky. Eek!

And then we arrived, finally (traffic in Tokyo is the worst. I hate it!). Before we can go inside the arena though, Taiga took my arm and dragged me to the opposite side. I squealed in opposition. And then the next thing I knew, there were the Gen-M (all of them) huddled together and Furihata-san a couple of meters from us. Jeez, can Taiga at least not poke his nose to these weird people!

"…Sorry, but can you leave?" said the guy with the over-shadowed (as in completely black; the only thing visible is his creepy right eye) face that apparently I can't see yet (in order to give the mysterious effect on him – which is ridiculous because angle-wise I should see his face clearly). He was addressing Furihata-san who was obviously about to pee in his pants. And his tone was very rude and with contempt. What a jerk!

For the sake of saving the day (he is on _kakkoi_-mode), Taiga laid a comforting hand to Furihata-san. "Come on, that's cold. Don't leave him out of the loop!" He said to the Gen-M smiling smugly.

They all turned toward our direction.

"Kagami! Maya-chan!" Furihata-san yelled in pure joy. I'm guessing he will be forever grateful for saving him from the evil clutches of the Gen-M. He looks lost in their company even though Tetsu was with him. It was pitiful. I mean, he shed a tear when he saw us! A TEAR!

Because I was fed up with all of them, I said with a disgusted face: "What the hell is this, a freak show?!"

Ok, that was completely rude of me because that includes Tetsu. So he said reprovingly "Maya-san…"

"Wah! That hurts Mayacchi!" Cried Ryo.

"Uhg! For a girl, you really have a bad mouth." Said Aomine-san.

Musashi stared down at me in acknowledgement and Midorima-san pushed back his sexy glasses.

The over-shadowed guy then talked to Midorima-san, addressing him by name. But I completely ignored him because I swatted Tetsu's arm. He flinched in pain.

"_Itai_…"

"What the hell is going on?" I asked him.

"Akashi-kun summoned us." He said simply.

Taiga turned to the over-shadowed guy: "Ehh, so you're Akashi... Glad to meet you."

He is such a LIAR. Akashi just looked at him in this scary way.

"Why are you with them?! I thought I told you to stay away from them?" I scolded Tetsu.

"When did you say that to me?" Tetsu asked.

"You are not his mother Maya!" Taiga said to me.

And then we started bickering again. The three of us. But Akashi interrupted. I told you, he is a jerk.

"You're Kagami-kun, right?!" He said. He is standing so close to us, but all I see is his black silhouette. He is definitely cosplaying the Unseen Suspect in Detective Conan! I don't understand why he is in silhoutte-mode!

Suddenly, WHOOSSSH! He stabbed Taiga's face with scissors! It happened so fast that I don't have the time to blink. Well. Like I said, Taiga dodged it. I was so shocked because it happened just centimeters away from me! I was stunned. I never saw someone get killed before! (I should stop saying that Taiga got killed or stabbed!) That's the time I realized that there's something wrong with his head!

And then Akashi smiled menacingly - the time I realized that he is a psychopath! He got the looks that he will do it again anytime!

"Good job dodging that! For moving like that I forgive you this time. But there won't be next time. If I say leave, then leave." He said in a high and mighty tone.

And then he started cutting his bangs as he started preaching about 'winning is everything' crap. Taiga was also frozen on the spot. He incurred a shallow cut in his cheek and it was bleeding. After he cut off his bangs, TADAH! I finally saw his face. The Captain of the Freaks' face. And I was so disappointed!

I was actually imagining him to be tall (Teppei-nii tall), perverted (yes, I can't believe myself, I am sorry) and good-looking Captain of the Generation of Miracles with bulging biceps and triceps, with six-pack abs (hmp!). And just because he was the captain, he was filled with this powerful strong **EVIL** aura that's leaking out of his body. But I was so wrong! Everything about Akashi Seijuro is announcing _psycho-freak_. He is a little bit taller than Tetsu and has red-hair (trying to take Taiga's place for being the red-haired character!). Also he has these very, very (and I am not going to lie) attractive eyes. They are _heterochromatic_ - his right eye is red and his left is yellow, or gold, whatever. It's the first time I saw a person having this condition and I really think it's beautiful - if not creepy. But that doesn't change the fact that he is a total freak! Ok, except for the good-looking part. I mean, he is good-looking if he is not making his eyes big (like, he really opens his eyes wide! He has to accept that he is Japanese, for goodness' sake! They are supposed to be slit-eyed. And he cannot do anything about it!) and his pupil dilate like some kind of a narcotic crack-head as he glower on us!

And seriously, he needs to go to salon afterwards because the way he cut his bangs is SO not cool.

I probably got so fed up that I cannot contain it anymore that I snapped. (Yeah, I lost it just like that!) I've really been putting a lot of patience to their weirdness but I just had it with the Captain!

I brought out my paper fan and struck Akashi with it. He easily avoided it (tsk!) by jumping a few meters away with his arms crossed (what a show off!). I struck the ground instead and it caused some epic crater. I was emitting this electricity in my body. (Refer to: Goku in mid-saiyan form)

"Maya-san, please calm down!" Tetsu called.

"Uh-oh!" Furihata-san said.

But I wasn't hearing them anymore. Imagine a serious battle between the Evil Boss and me in some kind of wasteland with the background in full-storm setting. Just the two of us. And battle effects, of course!

"Hmm…?" Akashi inquired with this evil aura.

"Yo! M*th*rf*cka!"... is what I wished I said while giving him the finger.

"You are such a creep! I can't believe you stabbed Taiga!" is what I really said while pointing my _harisen_ at Akashi.

"Err. I wasn't stabbed!" Taiga said in the background, now back to his senses.

"And who are you?" He asked superiorly. He obviously doesn't know me which is to my advantage.

"You don't need to know me! Just come over here and let me slap your pathetic egotistical face." I said.

The other guys squirmed in nervousness.

I can't believe I said that. Or I did any of this. I MEAN, I told you before that I am really not into confrontations. But I guess, if you snapped, you snap like crazy!

He smirked – and it was an annoying smirk. So I attacked again which is completely useless because he can evade it. It's like he is reading my mind or something.

"Arg!" I complained and was about to swat him again but Aomine-san grabbed my shoulder from the back.

"That's enough! It's just a waste!" He said.

I lost my grasp, because of what he did, on my harisen which flew all the way to Akashi and hit his head. You can hear the BOINK! He was just standing there with his superiority complex shit with arms still crossed and then he was hit by my harisen! He didn't expect that! And, my gosh it was fantastic. It was hilarious. It was the most epic thing I have seen in my life! He deserves that, you know!

"Hahahahaha!" I laughed insultingly at him, crossing my arms in my stomach.

"Ah!" Aomine said stupidly. The other Gen-M got dark eyed and gasped in horror! Yes, that includes Tetsu.

And then a second later, we could feel the gravity pinning us down and there's the ever present heavy atmosphere. Akashi's hair and clothes were floating ominously and then he lifted his hands holding the scissors (I completely forgot about the scissors!) and dashed to attack me with his creepy eyes shining evilly. I screamed in fear! It was scary! Ryo and Midorima-san immediately grabbed Akashi back while Musashi stood in front of me for protection (he was still eating though).

Ok. Seriously. I almost peed at my skirt. That wasn't funny!

After a second, Akashi gained his composure but he glared at me with his creepy big eyes again. I was too scared to speak. Call me pipsqueak or whatever. He is a real-life psychopath. But trying to be brave, I tried to act not scared. He was just my age, hello!? It isn't working though because my feet were quivering exaggeratedly! I even tried to smile but the muscles in my face were totally paralyzed. I looked like I was having an upset stomach. In other words – ugly like hell.

Akashi took a breath of patience. I tried to say some witty remark but I can't speak. He saw my attempt and he ORDERED ME TO SIT - like a dog! He said:

"Sit!"

"I am very sorry!" I muttered instinctively. And I sat! GYAAAA! To my horror I sat – and nearly groveled at his feet! It took out all the neuron cells in my brain to stop myself from groveling. And so I sat Japanese-style (that tore my _rectus femoris _muscle!) I can't believe this! He made me sit in the middle of the square where a lot of people were looking! I can't believe I followed him! And I apologized! I so want to die! I mean, OMG! That's probably why he is the Captain isn't it! He has the Geass! I'll bet 100 bucks that his right or left eye has Geass and he's just covering it up with colored contact lenses because he just wanted to look cool or something.

Anyway. I was utterly humiliated! I can't believe I followed him.

Akashi pompously smiled at me and turned around. I was so shock, I am at a lost!

"Well then, I'll get going. We are done for the day." He said to the Gen-M as if nothing happened. AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED. FYI, he totally humiliated me, and he brushed it off like it's nothing!?

Aomine-san said something to him that I am not hearing. I was so busy collecting any pride I have left. And then the next thing Akashi Seijuro the Psycho-Freak was gone.

Tetsu took my shoulders as he squat in front of me, and asked me if I'm alright. And I looked at his worried expression (first time ever!) and I cried. Of course I am not alright! He made me sit like a dog! And I obediently complied! Hell, I have no idea what just happened! I even hadn't done anything to redeem myself! (Ok, its like I can't do anything to him! - which is crazy!)

"Tetsu…" I called to him like a baby. And I hugged him for support because I needed it. I just faced a future killer, you know! It drained everything out of me!

Ryo and Musashi tried to comfort me by saying I was brave to stand up to their Captain.

Aomine-san said it was his fault. (I can't believe he would say that!)

And Midorima-san gave me a small teddy bear which he conjured out of nowhere. It collects positive energy for Pisces he said. Gah!

I didn't let go of Tetsu so he has no choice but to carry me up. I think it was difficult for him. Ok. It was difficult for him! I weighted like a ton. And he has to carry me back to the arena.

"You did great, thanks for standing up for me." Taiga said, ruffling my hair.

"You should be proud Maya-chan." Furihata-san said. "I can't even move a muscle in front of him."

Oh.

Shit.

As a write this, I was gasping. I just realized that the boys were actually sweet to me.

Love Always, Maya.

PS. OK, as for the game. I didn't realize the gravity of the situation until we were actually in the court. As you know, today we were up against the Touou High. They were quite famous. Especially _Ahomine_. (I've gotten over Akashi and was totally focused in the game. There's a big possibility that we will lose and that would mean that Seirin cannot face the Yosen High anymore - which would mean that I wouldn't get kissed! And I will do anything in my power for the kiss to HAPPEN!)

**::.::.** Seirin is fueled up by the knowledge that this will be Teppei-nii's last game ever. In his life. Probably. So they are vanishing in the court too like Tetsu. (Tetsu explained the whole "Misdirection Overflow" to us, but all I heard was alien-talk. I did understand though that it will drain his life force. Or something like that.)

**::.::.** Hyuuga-sempai hogged the spotlight. Totally!

**::.::.** Aomine-san and his selfish motto and his wacko play again. Seriously. Stop it.

**::.::.** Imayoshi-sempai (Touou's #4 Jersey and Captain) is totally **hot** with the glasses and the sweating and the messed-up attitude.

**::.::.** I hate Momoi-san. (Just because!)

**::.::.** And then there's the 'it's-all-up-to-a-single-shot' thing. Both teams are willing to LITERALLY die for it!

**::.::.** Taiga has gotten over his anger-management issues in the court. I must thank his Master for that. He was able to play against Aomine! And, drum roll please. He made the last shot for Seirin to WIN! Yay! 101-100! We all just screamed in victory. I take back what I said about today being not a perfect day and its Taiga's fault!

P.S.S. There's this "The Zone" thing. It makes you superhuman or something. Anyway, I don't have the details yet, but I plan to enter it someday. I cannot stay NORMAL. The status degrades me! (Momoi-san is totally useful to her team and well, the only thing that I do for Seirin is to watch their game and support them...)

P.S.S.S. I'm currently writing this at the locker room because the boys fell asleep and Aida-sempai said I don't have to wake them yet. So, I figured I have to write before I forget what happened. Haha! I took some pictures of them (posted in Instagram) and they are all drooling. PFFT! You have to check out Hyuuga-sempai and Teppei-nii hugging! Mitobe-sempai can sleep while sitting down! Awesome. Oh, and Taiga's abs (it's not a crime to take pictures of abs!) is absolutely amazing. I plan to sell the picture to Toru AND to the gay community. Its money, I tell you. And Tetsu looks like a girl with his long eyelashes!

P.S.S.S.S. I did some thinking. Compared to Hanamiya Makoto, Akashi Seijuro is actually more bearable. At least I don't hate him (even though he humiliated me! Like a dog!). Err. Ok. I do hate him but not as much as Hanamiya. Akashi got a serious problem that seriously needs to be solved i.e., his personality. I am completely rendered helpless in his presence! Its annoying! If I am Superman, then he is like my Kryptonite! My Fated Enemy! Or something.

He is insufferable. And VIOLENT! I need to do something about his voodoo of a Geass before considering facing slash fighting him again.

P.S.S.S.S.S. Ok. Maybe I don't have to fight him now. He'll definitely kill me. And I CAN'T die a virgin!


	27. The Perks of Alexandria Garcia

**Did you watch the NBA Finals?! Haha! Its so funny, I kept imagining Kuroko no Basuke!**

**And its always Seirin VS Touou playing against each other.**

**So crazy:P**

***Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

****Dragon Ball Z**

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**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

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**December 6**

Dear Friend,

A lot more happened yesterday night. And it was just plain crazy! I was surprised here and there. Most of it is because of the things I learned about Taiga, and, yeah, MOST SPECIALLY Aida-sempai and her cooking! Seriously. I pity Hyuuga-sempai when the two of them will get married in the future.

We didn't go directly home because Koga-sempai, out of his jovial nature, said that: "We should celebrate our victory!"

And I, out of my supportive nature, said: "Ooh! That's a great idea!"

"As if we have time for that!" The other boys said.

"Our second match is the day after tomorrow and from the third match onwards, the matches will be daily!" Hyuuga-sempai explained as if we didn't know about this.

"We don't have time to celebrate!" The other boys said. Again!

UGH! They are always against everything.

"Aida-sempai, what do you think!?" I asked the matriarch.

Aida-sempai contemplated for a second and said: "Okay! Let's go and get something to eat."

"Yay!" Koga-sempai and I clapped in victory. Aida-sempai explained why she agreed but I haven't heard a thing because Koga-sempai and I were busy celebrating.

"Eating together with everyone sounds good to me." Teppei-nii a.k.a The Founder said.

And so it's set~. I was excited to eat someplace when Aida-sempa said: "I'd like to avoid eating somewhere in town though, it would put you're nutrition into misbalance."

And my mind alarmed into an "Uh-oh" in red neon lights.

"But isn't that the purpose of celebration?! To indulge ourselves into word-ly pleasures!"

"Uhh, world-ly pleasures?" Tsuchida-sempai asked for clarification.

Aida-sempai ignored me.

"We could eat in my place but it's very far from here." She said.

Big OH-NO!

"We can't bother our families by bringing the entire team either." Hyuuga-sempai said.

I think he didn't get it here yet though.

**Point Number One**: It's so obvious that Aida-sempai wants to cook. (Refer to: Summer Training Camp).

And then Taiga went to spoil it all.

"Uhm, my place is near here."

"Great! So why don't we drop to the supermarket first to buy ingredients." Aida-sempai suggested very happily.

I shrugged. "Yeah, lets…"

And so we went.

I was in front of the booze section, having a problem on how to sneak a few alcoholic drinks. I mean, this is my chance to try drinking and I honestly don't think the guys will notice if they are drinking one anyway. I took one bottle from the shelf when someone chopped the top of my head.

"Ouch!" I cried.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hyuuga-sempai loomed over me with dark eyes.

"I'm just looking! I swear!" I cried guiltily.

"No alcohol, Maya-san." Tetsu reprimanded. He took the bottle from me and put it back.

I pouted. "But it's only 7% alcohol…"

"_Ie_! All of us are still underage." Teppei-nii said.

"We're already old enough. In America, twelve years old can drink, you know!"

"But that's still illegal." Taiga said.

"Besides, the coach will kill us if she knew we bought alcoholic drinks." The boys said.

At the mention of Coach, their looks suddenly transformed into suffering.

"Maya, please help the Coach to cook!" They pleaded.

"Seriously guys, I tried opposing her, remember?!" I said to them.

"Uhm, guys, she's now putting banana in the basket! And wait, she's heading for the condiments section. Uhh… she just took a bottle of ketchup. And soy sauce." Kawahara-san announced with binoculars in his eyes. He is the look-out.

"What's that for? I thought we will be having a veggie-soup?" Furihata-san said.

There was an awful static in the air. And it's called DOOM.

"Maybe that's for dessert…" I offered.

"We are going to die!" Hyuuga-sempai wailed.

"At least, could you help her in the kitchen?" Teppei-nii asked me desperately.

"Err, I'll try. But can we get… you know…" I smiled sweetly at them while pointing the shelf of booze.

"No." They immediately replied.

"Che!" I said. That's why I'm kind of glad I don't have an elder brother!

Taiga's place is a condominium unit. And it is a VERY big unit. When we entered, the place only has the basic furnitures. Otherwise, it looks empty.

"This place is huge!" Koga-sempai shouted.

"Uhh, yeah. I live here alone…" But before Taiga could continue what he's saying, I placed a hand on his shoulder and look at him teary-eyed. Everything just confirms my theory about his family.

"Taiga, always remember that I'm here for you. You can tell me what's bothering you. I know it's hard with the divorce and all." I said sincerely.

He gaped at me. "What divorce?!"

"Of your parents..."

I cover my mouth, knelt and cried sadly. "I know it's hard, but let it be the circumstance that will make you a better person…"

A (big) hand took my head. Taiga was head-grabbing me again.

"My parents are not divorced! What on earth are you saying?!"

"But you live here alone! Don't make your life miserable!"

He sighed exasperatedly. "You really…ahhh! I was supposed to live here with my old man. But then something urgent came out, so he has to go back to America."

Okay. I thought really hard why Taiga had to move here in Japan (because I worry for my friends, of course). This is what I've come up with Taiga's profile: His parents are settling the finality of their divorce and because Taiga doesn't want to be caught up with all the custody issues, he went back to his motherland Japan. In short, he ran away with only his (huge amount of) savings as his only source of living. Yes, Taiga is from a _bourgeoisie_ family. Big shot!

For Tetsu, its more dark, I'll write it down next time.

"Huh?! Where's the Coach?" Teppei-nii asked.

"I just saw him walked into the kitchen…" Tsuchida-sempai said.

It suddenly thundered in the background. All of us were frightened to the death! Some of them even collapsed.

"Maya! We are counting on you!" Hyuuga-sempai said.

And then Taiga tossed me into his kitchen where I saw Aida-sempai (at least) chopping the vegetables and tossing them simultaneously into the boiling pot. She works so fast when she is cooking!

I coughed for attention. "_Ano_… Aida-sempai please let me help you."

She looked at me, while still chopping. Amazing!

"Hm? No, it's alright." She said.

"Really, please. Like, I need to help." I said with a fake enthusiasm.

"If you really want so… then, please wash the vegetables!"

"Ok. But didn't you put the one you're chopping into the pot…"

Aida-sempai stopped my sentence with her evil eyes. "Wash the remaining vegetables. Hohoho~"

**Point Number Two**: Half of what we are about to eat were unwashed which basically is ironic since Aida-sempai was going on with nutrition but how will that happen if what we are going to eat is full of bacteria?!

The next thing I knew the veggie soup was already cooked. I followed her to the dining area.

"Here it is! Healthy nourishment! My specialty, the veggie-soup!"

The boys went white.

"Don't worry. This time I didn't leave them whole." She added.

The boys looked at me for confirmation.

"It's true!" I said. And I sent my message thru telepathy while giving them an 'ok' sign: "I did my best."

Of course, leaving the I-only-did-the-washing-part.

Aida-sempai opened the pot and the boys went epileptic BECAUSE of total shock –

BECAUSE inside the pot is totally unexpected –

BECAUSE it looks normal!

Even I was shocked. Although the normality of it wouldn't change the fact that I will not eat it BECAUSE it's a pot of bacteria (which I also chose to omit telling the guys, BTW)! No offense meant to Aida-sempai, of course.

Now, the question in the air is: Is it edible?

I would like to commend Hyuuga-sempai for his chivalry here. (Voice of sarcasm.) He is willing to sacrifice Tetsu for taste-testing. And Tetsu here, I can't believe, is willing. Really, what's up with the boys I'm with! Uhg.

Tetsu lifted the banana (not peeled) from the pot. Gross!

The boys looked at me with their accusing eyes.

"What?!" I said in defense. "She was already cooking before I came!"

The boys keep getting fruits (strawberry and tomato and potato and etc.) from the veggie-soup and they started complaining.

"I swear I didn't see that she put that thing there!" I said.

And then my eyes went to Tetsu who started eating the banana and I tell you, he looks so cute - eating the banana. I saw it in slow-mo and man, it's sexy. My mouth hung in open air.

"This taste very good!" He said.

"Really?!" The boys asked. And then they started eating too, and said it taste normal.

I was still awed by how cute and sexy Tetsu is though.

"Oh my gosh Tetsu, eat that banana again!" I demanded.

"Maya-san…" Tetsu started with this scolding look.

A hand suddenly slid creepily around my shoulders. It was Aida-sempai.

"Why are you NOT eating?"

"I was..."

I was coming up with excuses but when I opened my mouth again Tetsu shoved the banana on my mouth. Before I could complain though, the taste overwhelmed my tongue.

"Oh my god! It tastes normal!"

That comment did not please Aida-sempai at all. She took it as an insult and started strangling me to death!

"It's a compliment!" I screamed.

"Aha! So eat again!" Aida-sempai took 'something' with her chopsticks and fed me.

Taiga stood up and went outside.

"Taiga! Help me!" I said.

But he just shooed me away. _BAKA!_

Tetsu followed Taiga. Jeez! You can never separate those two.

"Tetsu! Don't you dare leave me!" I threatened.

"_Gambatte_." He said. And disappeared! He just vanished into thin air. _AH!_

I want to believe that this is her form of love to her (pretty) team manager. She keeps feeding me! Can I write again that the food is dirty?!

**Point Number Three**: I TOLD YOU ITS CRAZY!

Especially what happened next.

Actually, I don't even know what happened next. It just BAM! I lost consciousness. I now feel what *Tsuna feels whenever he was forced to eat Bianchi's cooking. Gosh, what terror!

When we woke up, it's gotten so late that we have to go home.

"Eh?!" I cried.

"What ehh?!" They asked me.

"I haven't toured the entire unit yet?"

"Why do you need to tour my place?" Taiga asked me.

I look at him like he is some imbecile.

"Uhh, because that's what's friend do. And Taiga you are a jerk for asking me that!" I spat.

"Kagami-kun is a jerk." Tetsu said in support. This is why I love Tetsu.

"Why you!" Taiga gave us his icy stare and it's so effective because of his double-eyebrows.

"I agree with Maya-chan, I also want to see your place since we are already here. Fufu~" Koga-sempai said. We clapped again.

Hand in hand, like spoiled brats, we opened each room. The other boys just let us be. And then we opened the door to Taiga's room. And there's a big and mysterious lump over there covered with the blanket – on his bed. I know its Taiga's room because there were NBA posters in the wall, basketball magazines (and probably _ero-magz_) on top of the table.

"Taiga is living alone right?" I asked Koga-sempai again, just in case I heard Taiga wrong in his explanation.

"Yeah…" Koga-sempai nodded and gulped.

"Koga-sempai, take off the blanket." I whispered.

"Ehh, why me?"

"What if that's a bad guy?! Would you like it if he attacked me first?"

"As long as it's not me, yeah…"

I ignored his answer and push him toward the bed. He has no choice but to do what I said. (Insert: heart beating sound effects for the suspense). The whole thing was taking each passing second!

And then TADUM!

Koga-sempai screamed, bit his tongue and ran away while I remained there standing like a stone and gawking at the (very) tall blonde busted woman. Yeah, and I mean busted, like big boobs like Momoi-san, because she is nude except for her striped blue and white panties.

EXACT THOUGHTS AT THAT TIME #1: OH MY GOD! TAIGA IS SLEEPING WITH AN OLDER WOMAN! AND A BLONDE AT THAT! HE HAS A GIRL FRIEND AND HE IS NOT EVEN TELLING ME ANYTHING. I felt so betrayed. AND DARN! THAT LEGS! DAMN IT! CURSES TO ALL LONG-LEGGED WOMEN! And she's sleeping at his bed NAKED. OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! THEY HAD S*X! WTF! (Which was impossible, now that I think about it because I fetched him at the airport – then, gosh, they DID IT on the PLANE!) THIS EXPLAINS EVERYTHING. HE AND THIS GIRL ELOPED! Blah… blah… blah…

She stirred with all the ruckus Koga-sempai was making. He cannot even speak properly! When I got my senses back, I ran to where Taiga was and tornado-kicked him! (Perfected by only watching anime).

"_Hentai!_" I said. Like in the anime too.

The blonde woman came out from his room, with this two-size-smaller-than-her-boobies-really spaghetti (no bra), and still in her panties.

"What's going on?! What's this noise about?" She said in English. And then she only saw Taiga.

"Alex!" Taiga blurted out.

And then this Alex kissed him on the mouth. (And probably stick her tongue on his throat but I'm not sure.)

Just imagine the greatest shock of your life. And the boys VERY VERY RED IN THE FACE. That's what happened to all of us.

EXACT THOUGHTS AT THAT TIME #2: WHAT THE HELL?! I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN MY FIRST KISS! IT'S SO UNFAIR! I CAN'T BELIEVE TAIGA WILL BEAT ME ON THIS! WHAT THE HELL! Blah… blah… blah…

**POINT NUMBER 4**: I got it all wrong. Her name is Alexandria Garcia. She's Taiga's teacher. She can speak Japanese and she's an ex-WNBA player which was awesome and cool. I mean, that's WNBA! We are talking about LeBron and Wade and Parker here if you remove the W! (Yep, I know them. This Basketball is already rubbing to me.)

Which makes their relationship even more taboo! (I'm kidding. No relationship there. But, grrr, Taiga still isn't a virgin in (french)kissing anymore!)

"A disease suddenly made my eyesight go really bad, so now, I teach basketball." She said. Aida-sempai gave her coffee and the two of them started having conversation.

"And why did you come to Japan?" The Coach asked and sat beside her.

Taiga suddenly jolted.

"Ahh! Coach, if you get too close…"

And then Alex kissed Aida-sempai too. In the mouth of course.

"She's a crazy kisser!" Taiga finished all too late.

After the kiss, Aida-sempai's mouth hang open and I can see evil chants coming out from it! Creepy!

"Don't just do that to anyone!" Taiga screamed.

EXACT THOUGHTS AT THAT TIME #3: Is she a lesbian?! Oh god, another weirdo. Ugh, I bet that boys are waiting for an opportunity to sit next beside her so they'll get kissed. Gross. I'm glad I didn't sit next to her.

"What are you saying I only do that to girls!"

Definitely a lesbian.

She started leaning towards me.

"Isnt that right?!" She grinned at me. I put a hand over her mouth and pushed her away.

"Sorry, not gonna happen!" I said.

"Meh, haha, I'm kidding. Anyway, what are the two elementary girls doing here so late?"

"I am a high school student." I glared at her.

"Oho! Are you by any chance, Maya?"

"Yes." I responded unsurely.

"Taiga told me about you. Haha! He said you are the most bad-ass girl he has ever met in his life."

I am not happy about that description to be honest so I punched Taiga's stomach which by now is all muscles so it has no effect whatsoever.

"Haha!" Alex laughed again. "Are you and him by any chance a couple?"

"Ha! In his dreams!" I said.

"No, were not! Stop asking questions like that!" Taiga said.

"Eh?! But he bought you a box of chocolates!" Alex said to me.

"Chocolates? You gave Maya-chan a box of chocolates?" Teppei-nii said.

Yes, I didn't tell them about it. Taiga gave it to me. I asked for it.

"Ah, well she asked for it. You can all share if you want." Taiga said.

"What?!" I said in disbelief.

"You should share!" The boys wailed.

"I also want a chocolate." Tetsu said.

"But you like vanilla!" I said to him.

"Where is the box of that chocolate?" Hyuuga-sempai demanded.

"It's in her bag!" Izuki-sempai informed.

The boys huddled together and took my chocolates.

"Wait! Boys don't even like chocolates!" I reasoned.

"Says who?!" They asked me. The nerve!~

"Eh, but it's mine!"

"Kagami said that we can share."

So they ate. My chocolate. Uhg. Gluttons!

"But how about this one?" Alex looked at Aida-sempai. Still on the elementary thing.

"Oh, she's our coach. A high school student too." Taiga said.

Awkward silence in the atmosphere.

"Sorry, she's so flat I didn't notice."

Ouch!

Aida-sempai was **Kame-hame-ha'ed by that honest comment that she flew into the wall creating a crater and got stuck there. What an impact. I tried to save her but well, it happened so fast and with my chocolate being eaten, I really can't do two things at a time.

And then Tetsu appeared beside Alex (I knew it! Tetsu wanted to be kissed too!). I'm sending him looks that could stab a person.

"Why did you go here in Japan?" He asked again. Alex was surprised to see him appear.

"Ah, Taiga also told me about you! Like he said, you look so... weak!"

I laughed.

"I told you its not like that!" Taiga said.

"No excuses!" I said. I went to Tetsu who looked really dejected and patted his head.

"Poor Tetsu!"

"Back to the topic. I went here to see a basketball match. Tiger and Tatsuya are my favorite pupils!"

With the mention of Tatsuya-kun, my heart literally stopped.

"Tatsuya-kun?! You taught Tatsuya-kun basketball?!" I repeated the known fact dumbly.

"You know Tatsuya?"

"He's my future husband!" I declared.

Taiga chopped my head. (That's two times already!) "Stop joking!"

"I am serious!" I said teary-eyed.

Alex laughed. She started telling me how she met the two of them (who, I learned were already basketball freaks).

"And now they've grown and will be facing each other. Of course I am interested in seeing it!" Alex concluded.

"Alex, do you mind if I ask you a question?" I said. She nodded, smiling.

"Just exactly how old are you?!"

To me it was a pure and honest out-of-curiosity question, but it's too late to realize that is a BIG NO-NO to ask women about their age – especially Alex! I saw a vein, literally, sprouted at the side of her head and then her hands (I saw) moved ninja-fast and I was down again.

She just threw something at me that made me unconscious! (And that's the second time!)

Gosh!

Love Always, Maya.

P.S. We went home very late last night so Mom grounded me today. And the guys together with Alex went to see some games - today! I mean, they watched Midorima's game! I wanted to see Midorima and his sexy glasses! But oh no, I was grounded! (My fault. Forgot to inform them.)

But bummer! UGH!

Yes, as you know what I am going to write, it is not fair!


	28. The Perks of Haizaki Shougo

**Keep reviewing guys! Thanks so much! lots of love ;3**

_***Shingeki no Kyojin**_

_****Slam Dunk**_

* * *

**The Perks of Being a Phantom Player**

"_Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest."_

_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

* * *

December 10

Ok. I need to compose myself. I mean. C'mon! Today is the day that I've been waiting for my whole (16 years of) life!

We are finally against Yosen High (after I'd gone almost nuts and threatened the entire team that if we are not going to win then I'm going to kill them. I was telling them that while they were playing against Nakamiya High and Kogomo North High! So imagine their utter embarrassment.)

I kind of desperately wanted to have my first kiss because I am aware that Taiga already kissed a lot of girls (ok, Alex) a lot of times. Hell, maybe Tetsu also had his first kiss already! I'm hoping to god that it's not with Momoi-san (who I assume had her first kiss with Aomine-san, haha)! And come to think of it, the boys might have had their their first-base with the opposite sex too! I mean, Tsuchida-sempai definitely must have already kissed his GF (yeah, he has one, and to my disbelief, its Mitobe-sempai's sister!) And Hyuuga-sempai too (with Aida-sempai**?**), considering he has gone all delinquent during his freshman years.

So that's leaves me like the virgin amongst men. That was an exaggeration, of course.

I'm getting paranoid over this.

BUT! Jeez!

I am so disappointed…

**I DIDN'T GET MY FIRST KISS!** (Super CAPITAL)

**IT'S SO DEPRESSING.**

What happened? Hah.

_[1] Taiga and his RELATIONSHIP ISSUES with Tatsuya._

PUH-LEASE! They're still going on with this 'after-this-game-we-are-not-brothers-anymore'. I thought girls are more emotional! But oh-no! Taiga and Tatsuya-kun were taking it to another level! They were arguing in the court! Taiga was pressured. Seirin was losing humongous points. Tatsuya-kun is as beautiful as ever.

We were sitting on the bench and Taiga suddenly took out his brotherhood ring and gave it to Tetsu.

"Kuroko, please do me a favor. Please take the ring and throw it away." He said with this pained-almost-to-cry expression, it hurts.

Tetsu gave him his dead-pan stare and I was gawking at Taiga with mouth wide open.

"What?" Tetsu said.

"You what?!" I said, because I can't help listening.

"Are you sure you wanted to throw away the memories with Himuro?" Tetsu asked Taiga.

"Its fine, having it only represents guilt. It's in the past with Tatsuya. The future is with you guys. It's obvious which one is important."

I want to point out that that comparison doesn't even make sense. I want to roll my eyes but Taiga smiled at us -almost to cry, I cringed. I bet he was crying inside.

_Boys._

I snatched the ring from him before he could give it to Tetsu.

"Maya!" Taiga said.

"Maya-san!" Tetsu said.

"I'll take this ring." I said, convinced that I was doing the right thing.

"I am not asking you! I'm asking Kuroko!" Taiga said.

"If you ask him, then you ask me!"

"Then you throw it!"

"Are you serious?!"

'Yes, I am!"

I squinted at him.

"If I throw it, then this ring goes to the trash can, un-owned, free-for-anyone-to-take property. And if anyone finds it, then it automatically belongs to him. Finders, keepers." I explained.

"What are you getting at?" _Baka_gami asked me.

"This…"

"No, Maya-san." Tetsu cut me. He was about to take the ring from me, but I opened my jacket, and put it inside my blouse, feeling the cold metal in the middle of my chest. I harrumphed triumphantly at Tetsu.

"Get it if you can!" I challenged Tetsu. But he can't of course. I know he will never put his hands inside my blouse. (O_O whatever that means).

"What are you doing? Throw it, Maya." The idiot Taiga said.

"Oh, I will!" I assured him, smiling. Tetsu icily stared at me.

So after Taiga thought he had moved on, he turned into an animal (literally). On the fourth quarter, it's one-on-one between the two of them.

"I'll stop you!" Taiga screamed. YES. Screamed. So the whole people in the arena heard it.

"Try if you can!" Tatsuya yelled.

But Tetsu interfered by stealing the ball. Kill joy.

I mean, the one who was the most stressed here was me. I wanted Seirin to win of course, but I can't just stop a fan girly-scream whenever Tatsuya-kun drops the ball into the basket.

"For Pete's sakes Maya, who do you really want to win?!" Aida-sempai asked me irritated (it was during the second quarter), because I was screaming every time Tatsuya-kun scored.

"Of course, I wanted us to win. But victory is not the same with love, ok?" I explained all-knowingly. It's no use trying to hide my infatuation. Taiga and Tetsu are so big mouthed, they told the entire school. Even the second years heard of it. ALL OF THEM! (At least, the fetish with old men was completely forgotten).

"Ha. Right. But please, keep it to yourself."

I gasped.

"Control yourself!" She rephrased.

Ok, that's hard.

Especially now that Tatsuya-kun turned into a super saiyan (no hair-color change) and after he moved gracefully with total awesomeness, he was like:

"KAGAMI!" His hair was floating ominously.

"HIMURO!" Taiga screamed in return, his twin eyebrows getting thicker and longer.

So BL drama. Gosh.

Taiga thought it was a Mirage Shot but Tatsuya-kun knew better, so it was just a regular shot. It went in to the basket. And I squealed in support. Totally appreciative of his basketball skills.

"Maya-chan…" The boys in the bench reproved.

Taiga was acting like a loser at that time (totally immobilized), just when Ryo, with his team, appeared and he kind of talked Taiga out of his loser-ness. Ryo saw me looking at them and his gorgeous face broke into a wide grin, light came out, it blinded me. And he was standing from the other side of the court. WTH.

"Ah!" I yelled as I blocked the light with my arms.

Koga-sempai called for a time out. It was supposed to be me, but I forgot.

"Mayacchi!" He called out waving. I eyed him menacingly and told him using hand signal (I learned a lot from Takao-san) to zip his mouth or else! Ending it with a closed fist with my thumb downward sign. The guys from Kaijou High laughed at him (they were also watching ME). Ugh.

The next thing I knew, Taiga was able to stop Musashi - his eyes were like Stella in Black Rock Shooter. Burning. Only his were thinner. He was on a rampage that even the beautiful shot of Tatsuya-kun were no match to him.

Tatsuya-kun lost and he was so stunned, my heart breaks for him.

Taiga was awesome. It's the Zone thing.

And then another time-out. In Yosen's bench, I saw (it's not that I am watching him) Tatsuya-kun punched Musashi in the face. I was hoping he is not taking out his frustration on him.

"That's enough Atsushi! The fight isn't over yet!" He bellowed angrily. Right, its Musashi's fault. Whew!

And then I saw (ok, I confess, I was watching him - like a stalker) he cried! Tatsuya-kun was crying! Kyaa! I shouldn't be celebrating it, but, oh my gosh, he's so beautiful when he's shedding tears. My heart went erratic.

Anyway, that ends it. Like finally. I can see the closure.

Note: I, of course, did not throw the ring. Ulterior Motive: The ring is from Tatsuya. I want it for myself.

Note to the note: (bias voice) I don't care if Tatsuya-kun named his shot _Mirage Shot_. I think it's beautiful and the name is perfect. I love him! Kyaa!

Note to note to note: Kill me. Seriously? _Meteor Jam_! And that's our victory shot.

_[2] Teppei-nii and his passion for martyrdom (but we support him anyway)._

No bleeding this time though. He just got super exhausted that he collapsed! Yes! Like, C-O-L-L-A-P-S-E. Face-on-the-floor collapse! I mean, I do understand that. He was against Musashi and the other *Titans of the Yosen team. They're so freaking tall! I wish they would donate some of their sprouting DNA to me so I could also be tall. I would be the happiest person alive if I grow 10 centimeters more. *Cross fingers*

He played point guard and center at the same time so it's not a wonder that he was awfully tired and out of breath that I almost thought he was suffering from asthma. I'm serious. I can see his muscles were in pain. And then when Aida-sempai was stopping him to play, he looked at her with this _you-can't-resist-this-suffering-but-determined-eye s-of-mine_ and Aida-sempai knees weakened. She's the one who stopped. The coach can't do anything when Teppei-nii gives her that look (which I now foresee will be a dilemma. It's totally a triangle! Teppei-nii, Hyuuga-sempai, and Aida-sempai. Tsk, tsk, tsk.)

And then he, with Taiga, tried to block, Musashi's dunk. That's when he collapsed. He is like **Mitsui fainting, due to loss of stamina. It was so pitiful, you know. You can clearly see that Teppei-nii is trying SO hard only to be hindered completely by a scary monster. He went down. His sweat on the floor was like blood in a battle he lost.

I, immediately tended to him because he can barely stand. My concern was his injury and was about to advice him not to continue anymore. But I made the mistake of looking at his eyes, and I dropped to the floor and wanted to cry for him, for the injustices of this world. I even wanted to cry for the oppressed and the poor. I was covered with misery and hope, its disturbing. Yikes. I now understand Aida-sempai.

"Uhm, Maya-chan, are you ok?" Furihata-san asked me.

"Yeah." I returned to my senses and started to massage Teppei-nii's legs for them to relax.

What happened to him motivated the guys and Teppei-nii actually cried. It's so… err, well, like I said before I am a sucker for guys who cried. So… ahem. *Doki* my heart.

"Let me be able to move." Teppei-nii said to Aida-sempai.

"I don't think that's a good idea." I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Are you thinking about going back in? That would be absurd!" Tsuchida-sempai protested.

I nodded in agreement. But Aida-sempai said:

"It's fine!"

"What?!" I said.

"Aida-sempai, it's not good!" I emphasized my last word.

"Are you sure, Riko?" Teppei-nii asked too, surprised.

"Even if I stop you, you would still go in anyway." Aida-sempai said, standing up and folding her sleeves.

"Just in case you've noticed, I am trying to stop him." I said to Aida-sempai.

"I still would want to play, Maya-chan." Teppei-nii said softly.

I pouted and scowled. "Even if you want to, you can't."

He looked at me dumbly.

"Your injury?!" I pointed out to him.

"It's true. I can't do anything about his injury, but I can do something about the pain." The Coach said.

"Err, what do you mean?!" She didn't answer me, but my instinct told me it's not something pleasant.

"Listen, Maya, I think Kagami's plan is too risky so if he failed, you should ask for a time out."

"Wait, are you entrusting your authority to me?" I asked her, eyes twinkling.

"Oh, you're right. Not a good idea. Koganei and Tsuchida, please listen too." She changed her mind.

"Erk! That's not what I mean." I protested.

Aida-sempai continued to give us the instructions of what to do next, just in case.

"Kawahara-kun, help me bring Kiyoshi to the infirmary." Aida-sempai ordered.

"Eh, why to the infirmary and not here?" Kawahara-san said. He shouldn't have asked that.

"Because I am not going to let him scream in here. I'll give him a massage that my Dad taught me. It will lose his fatigue in no time but he will suffer from an infernal pain." She said smiling but you knew it was worse than evil.

OOPS.

"EHHH?!" Teppei-nii and Kawahara-san said, their souls trying to escape from their bodies.

"Maya, do you like to come? It will be a useful experience for you, you know?" Aida-sempai offered.

"No, I'm good." I squeaked. "Go on Kawahara-san, help Teppei-nii."

"And please come back alive." I whispered to the both of them as I pushed them forward. Toward Aida-sempai. Toward the hellish nightmare.

They looked back at me helplessly. I saluted them off. (Insert background: Flags and stars. Insert song: Heroic theme plus me saying in my mind: _Gambatte_!)

He did come back alive and ok. Kawahara-san though, was scared to death! I don't want to know what happened. Really.

Note: Teppei-nii named his grabbing the ball _vice claw and double clutch_! LIKE WTF!

Note to note: Don't look at Teppei-nii's eyes when he's asking for something. You can't resist if you do. It will be your loss.

_[3] Musashi and his scary b*tch fit (BF)._

Oh, trust me. You don't want to see him BF. He's so scary; he's like *Eren turning into a titan AND add the vocabulary of all curses and foul words you could think of. He just dunks and blocks and defends like crazy. It's the first time I saw him like that! Totally scary. It looked like he actually grew 10 inches more! If that is his Zone then I want that kind of Zone too! Hello!? That's 10 inches! Freaking INCHES! If only! Arhg!

He's wrecking havoc to the basketball court and he was eating Seirin alive. I was just glad I am not a boy and not the one who's playing there! I mean, gah! If I am the one he's running after because I have the ball (I'm talking about Izuki-sempai), I wouldn't run for the basket anymore, instead I would run for my life!

And he f*cking broke the basketball hoop. He broke the handle lock holding the post just by the mere impact of his f*cking dunk! No human could ever do that! Because of that the game was temporarily suspended which almost killed me because I thought they will stop it. How dare they! Seirin was losing! That cannot f*cking happen!

And then Teppei-nii collapsed [2], and Musashi tried to help him only because he wanted to completely destroy Teppei-nii's ideals and prove that it was all Teppei-nii's delusion. (Ok, Musashi and Teppei-nii have this issue about hard work and talent thing-y). It was like the time he wanted to crush that boy's dream, remember? Except this time, I can not stop him. I don't even want to go near him, puh-lease!

Eventually, Taiga was able to stop him. Musashi and the Yosen got owned! But he went for a comeback in the last minutes of the game. He TIED his hair. And gosh, he looks HOT. Like hot, hot. My heart was still erratic about Tatsuya-kun crying [1] and then Musashi went for a double kill when he tied his hair. Blood erupted like a volcano out of my nose.

The guys behind me were surprised.

"Maya-san, are you ok?!" Tetsu asked handing me a box of tissue.

"Mu… mu.." I stammered.

"Mu, what?!" Hyuuga-sempai asked scowling.

I never even imagined he would become like this, so I took out my iPhone to preserve this precious moment. I took a picture. He is sweaty and hot and he has tied his shoulder-length, smooth candy-smelling violet hair! The boys watched me and when they realized what on earth I was doing, they all chorused into an:

"Uhg!"

"Seriously, Maya!"

"Stop it!"

"Ahh!"

"_Majide_?!"

But even when Musashi did that and his eyes were burning fire too, Taiga cannot be stopped.

During the end call, he removed his tie. Bummer.

"I'm quitting basketball." He said nonchalantly.

Tetsu said it was impossible. And he was right.

They were at their bench. And because I was watching (can't help it!) Tatsuya-kun, I saw Musashi cried and my heart went *doki-doki*. Jeez! Too many guys crying! I can't take it.

Note: When Musashi starts saying trash, e.g . "Any theory to me is common trash!", run for your life.

Note to self: Give him sweets for Christmas.

_[4] Tetsu who finally, thank god, can shoot!_

It was a shock to me that he finally learned how to shoot (i.e The _Phantom Shot_). But it's kind of weird how he does it. Aomine-kun, Tetsu said, taught him how. And I kind of like thought, no wonder.

"Aomine is not a good teacher to you." I said in conclusion.

"Actually, he is. I mean, he taught me to shoot in just two days." Tetsu said, defending his friend.

"He's teaching you whacko stuff, Tetsu." I said the obvious. "Just look how you shoot!"

"How I shoot?" He inquired innocently.

"Uhh, yeah." I said annoyingly.

"What's wrong with how he shoots?" Taiga interrupted. Before I answer him, he started explaining some basketball legends who shoots in unconventional form. Tetsu started listening and he was glowing with pride. I mean, I didn't actually saw it in his face, but there was the glowing aura around him. And, I know who those legends were! **Sakuragi also shoots the ball ridiculously too! Taiga doesn't need to explain. Freak.

Anyway, I am so proud of Tetsu. He was making the ball disappear until it reached the basket. Isn't that awesome? He's so cool… not! Ok, the posture isn't really great, but who cares right?! He made the first basket and blocked Musashi's shot that brought us victory. 73-72. Of course, taking to account that Musashi acted like a jerk and insulted Teppei-nii, whom the former made Tetsu angry and the latter pressured him into winning.

It's also the first time that his eyebrows stayed into a scowl for a very long time! We're talking about Tetsu plus emotion here. Just wow!

Finally ready to head out (the game ended, they changed, and was well-rested), Tetsu suddenly appeared beside me.

"Ok, Maya-san. I need the ring."

"What ring?" I feigned ignorance.

He spread his palm towards me and looked at me real hard. Guilt-tripping. That's what his second best ability is. I can _hear_ his _stare_ echoing in my head. I gave up, took the ring out and gave it to him.

"You do know Kagami-kun really doesn't want to throw this." Tetsu said.

"Well, from the look of his face, it's pretty obvious!" I said.

"But you know, I'd really like…" I added.

"Maya-san…" He cut me again.

"Tsk. Just in case. You know what I mean?" I smiled at him sheepishly.

AND then he smiled in return. My heart stopped. He really SMILED. It might have something to do with our winning, but I mean, Tetsu and emotions are the ultimate combination. Its 1000 points damage to my heart.

He then gave the ring to Taiga and told him to find Tatsuya and make-up (whatever that means).

I remembered my ultimate concern so I came with Taiga who stopped protesting when I said it's important that I meet Tatsuya-kun too (after I promised I am not going to meddle – Taiga added 'and listen'—to their making-up) with desperation in my face.

_[5] MY FIRST KISS, I'M AFRAID, IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN ANYTIME SOON BECAUSE OF A DUMB-ASS JUVENILE DELINQUENT WHO TOOK THE F*UCK*NG SPOTLIGHT._

I have to mention that this juvenile delinquent is an ex-Gen-M member. Tetsu said he was totally out of control and just do whatever he likes. Ugh! Darn them all! The Generation of Miracles will be the ones who will kill me!

Taiga and I rounded the arena until we saw Tatsuya and Alex (and I don't know why the hell were they together). Well, the exact scene was this delinquent named Haizaki Shougo was lifting Alex with his hands by choking her neck and Tatsuya was down on his (beautiful) butt, hurt. They were in danger. From the looks of it, I wouldn't get what I want.

"Oh my god!" I said shocked and immediately went to my future husband to check on him.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHO ARE YOU, BASTARD! LET GO OF HER, NOW!" Taiga screamed angrily, ready to beat the life out of the guy.

"…Huh?!" The guy said, as if what he was doing wasn't bad. A flash of recognition crossed his face a moment later.

"You're the guy who just beat Atsushi! I was watching! You are pretty good." He said to Taiga, smiling. Alex took the opportunity to get away by kicking him but unfortunately the guy has good reflexes, he dodged.

"Oh, scary! That was not womanly at all!" He remarked. I can't believe he has even the nerve to say that.

"Are you ok, Alex?" I asked her, concerned.

"Yeah…" she said and glared at the guy.

"How about you, Tatsuya-kun?" I said worriedly. His beautiful face was grazed slightly and he was holding his stomach. I took the liberty to check if his stomach was bleeding (you'll never know) so I lifted Tatsuya-kun's shirt to stare at his beautiful stomach… I mean, check his beautiful stomach for damage.

"MA-YA!" Taiga said in a warning.

"What?!"

I stopped staring (and salivating) and instead helped Tatsuya-kun to stand up.

"Thanks." He said.

And then I scowled at the delinquent.

"Asshole!" I said to him. But he smirked and looked down on me, eyes gleaming.

"Hmm, you've got a bit of a bad mouth eh, miss foreigner?" He said to me. "I… like that."

A stream of creepy and disgusting current flowed throughout my body. I walked back. The guy walked forward.

"You bastard!" Taiga yelled at him again about to attack him but Tatsuya stopped Taiga.

"Don't lay a hand on him! If a player starts fighting in a place like this, you aren't the only one who'll get into trouble!" He said.

"What in the world happened?!" Taiga asked. Tatsuya relayed the events. The guy suddenly started hitting on Alex and when Tatsuya stopped him, this guy attacked Tatsuya and kicked him without preamble. Just like Akashi, only 5x worse. I can't believe he kicked Tatsuya! What if my future husband becomes impotent with what he just did!

So, nearly teary-eyed, because he made me mad - I threw at him my duffel bag!

"Jeesuz! Maya!" Taiga scolded.

"I am not a player!" I hissed at him. "And he makes me mad!"

"Still!"

Although well, I didn't foresee that it will make him mad at me. He grabbed my wrist real tight. I didn't even notice that he strode toward me so I have no time to scream. I really thought he's going to punch my face because he just looked some kind of a pissed devil. But suddenly a ball sped toward him which he unfortunately stopped with his hand. Curse that reflex!

I break away from his grasp and ran toward Taiga and I hid at his back.

"That was scary!" I cried. I heard Taiga sigh, loss for words.

"Don't do that again, Maya!" Tatsuya scolded me.

"Err, I'm sorry." I said. "I mean… he kicked you, and hurt Alex… I … it's just… so wrong."

"Hey, hey, hey! Suddenly throwing a ball at me like that. You sure got some nerves… Ryouta!" The delinquent said.

Ryo appeared in his forever gorgeousness, even when he was scowling.

"I can't believe you've gotten so low as to hurt a girl… Shougo-kun." Ryo said in defense of me. I am touched.

"Kise!" Taiga said in surprise. "You know him?!"

Ryo walked towards us, and he took a second to inspect my wrist.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." I assured him. And then Ryo's eyes automatically went to Alex.

"Oh, wow! Who's that chick?"

"She's my and Tatsuya's teacher." Taiga supplied at the same time that I _Ignite Pass_ Ryo in his stomach.

"You playboy!" I spat. "And you don't call a woman chick, _baka_!"

"I'm sorry." Ryo said.

He then answered Taiga's question. "His name is Haizaki Shougo. He's the guy who was one of Teikou's starting members until I joined. And he's the player that Akashi forced to quit the basketball team."

Well, no wonder he hates basketball. But just wow! Akashi actually forced him to leave their team! I'd have to say that, that is probably the **only** thing that I'd commend him for. Akashi SO did the right thing. Actually, I think Haizaki is still bitter about the whole thing, just hiding it by saying he's just killing time by playing basketball. What a dumb-ass.

Ryo said he'll take care of him and he did. Their team won against Haizaki's.

"That's right. Weren't you here for something Taiga?" Tatsuya asked. I perked my head.

"Uhh…oh yeah. But it's not the time for that anymore. I'll tell you later, definitely." And I know his later is in the near future, not later, later.

Tatsuya then turned to me. "And what about you, Maya?"

I can't believe he'd ask me that! He can't possibly forgotten! My eyes and mouth hang open.

"Wha… I can… I thought…" I started stuttering. I can't just say I wanted his kiss (WHICH he promised) in front of Taiga, Alex, Ryo, and even Haizaki. And then I looked at him and I saw that his lips were quirking up. He was teasing me! He has the time to tease me?! Hell! I frowned at him.

"Now is not the time for that anymore…" I copied Taiga.

"Is that so…" He said amused. And I know _it_ will still happen but in the near future if not soon.

Love Always, Maya.

PS. During the match between Kaijou High and Fukuda Academy (where Haizaki was playing), Tetsu completely embarrassed me to the whole people watching. I hate him. Ryo was having a difficult time fighting Haizaki. (Both of them have the same ability). All of us wanted him to win, so, well, I thought of supporting him through cheering.

But Tetsu did it first. He stood up and shouted (he never shouts) at the top of his lungs:

"I believe in you, Kise-kun!"

He's so out of character, its insane.

Feeling enamored and encouraged, I also stood up, even raised my arms. I shouted:

"Yeah! I know you can beat the crap out of that bastard! Show him!"

And guess who did the audience and the whole people watching in their TV JUST see? Guess who they thought yelled her 'confession' to Ryo. Guess who's that person that they laughed at and whispered about?!

It's me! _Ore da!_

Tetsu was totally invicible! He so unfair! That's why he had the courage to do that! He knew he will not be seen, anyway, so what the hell!

I turned tomato and for the rest of the game covered my face in embarrassment. The guys laughed at me. I ignored Tetsu's plea for forgiveness.


End file.
